African Palm Swift vs Böhm's Spinetail
Cypsiurus parvus compared with Neafrapus boehmi
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | African Palm Swift | Böhm's Spinetail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cypsiurus parvus | Neafrapus boehmi |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 27.2 cm (10.7 in) | 24.0 cm (9.4 in) |
| Weight | 14.38 g (0.51 oz) | 16.225 g (0.57 oz) |
| Diet | Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. | Aerial diet of small flying insects and spiders; forages at speed over forest and open … |
| Clutch Size | 1-3 | 2-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
African Palm Swift
Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.
Böhm's Spinetail
Soft, high twittering with delicate sibilant quality; rapid flutter of tiny notes almost insect-like in pitch and rhythm.
Geographic Range & Migration
African Palm Swift
Found across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to Somalia and south to South Africa. Common in open areas near palms; nests in palm leaves.
Böhm's Spinetail
Found in Central and East Africa from Cameroon east to Tanzania and Mozambique. Resident in open forest; often associated with baobab trees.
Conservation Status
African Palm Swift
Böhm's Spinetail
How to Tell Them Apart
African Palm Swift
Slender and long-tailed; uniformly pale greyish-brown overall; underparts paler grey-buff; long deeply forked tail; pale uniform appearance with no contrasting markings; widespread African palm-nesting swift with distinctive slender silhouette.
Böhm's Spinetail
Small; dark brown-black upperparts; white rump patch; pale whitish underparts; very short stubby tail with prominent spiny tips; East African savanna species; tiny bat-like fluttering flight aided by extremely short …
About These Birds
African Palm Swift
A slender swift (15-17 cm) with long, narrow wings and a deeply forked tail. Dark brown plumage. Found across sub-Saharan Africa in savanna and open woodland, closely associated with palm trees. Aerial insectivore. One of Africa's most abundant swift species.
Böhm's Spinetail
A small swift (9-10 cm) of miombo woodland and open savanna across eastern and southern Africa. Dark plumage with a white rump and belly. Short, spine-tipped tail. Aerial insectivore with distinctive fluttering, bat-like flight low over the treetops.