Mossy-nest Swiftlet vs Black Spinetail

Aerodramus salangana verglichen mit Telacanthura melanopygia

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Mossy-nest Swiftlet Black Spinetail
Wissenschaftlicher Name Aerodramus salangana Telacanthura melanopygia
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Apodidae Apodidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 22,7 cm (8.9 in) 32,4 cm (12.8 in)
Gewicht 11,3 g (0.40 oz) 52,0 g (1.83 oz)
Ernährung Aerial insectivore consuming minute dipterans, midges, and ballooning spiders caught in continuous fast flight. High-speed aerial insectivore catching small flying insects and aerial spiders during fast sustained flight.
Gelegegröße 1-2 --
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

Mossy-nest Swiftlet only

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Black Spinetail only

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Song & Call Comparison

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

Gesang

Rapid thin twittering; 'chip-chip' over Borneo forests; echolocation clicks in cave roosts; uses mossy nest material; calls softly in colonial roosts; moderate-pitched swiftlet

Black Spinetail

Gesang

Deep, resonant chattering with gravelly undertones; series of rough churring notes interspersed with sharp screaming calls.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

Found from the Philippines through Borneo and Sulawesi to the Moluccas. Resident in lowland and hill forest, often over rivers.

Black Spinetail

Found in West and Central Africa from Nigeria and Cameroon east to Uganda. Resident in lowland rainforest and forest edge.

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Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

Least Concern

Black Spinetail

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How to Tell Them Apart

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

Gefieder

Small; dark grey-brown upperparts with slight iridescence; pale grey-brown rump slightly paler than back; underparts greyish-white; forked tail; Sundaic swiftlet building mossy nests; rump contrast moderate, less striking than White-rumped.

Black Spinetail

Gefieder

Large; entirely black plumage with slight gloss; black rump unlike white-rumped congeners; underparts dark; spiny tail; West African forest species; all-black coloration with no contrasting markings distinguishes it from all …

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About These Birds

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

A small swiftlet (11-12 cm) found from the Malay Peninsula through Indonesia to the Philippines. Dark plumage with a pale rump. Aerial insectivore. Colonial cave nester. Named for the salanga caves of Java where large colonies breed. Nests made partially of moss and saliva.

Black Spinetail

A medium-sized spinetail swift (14-15 cm) of lowland rainforests in West and Central Africa. All-dark plumage. Spine-tipped tail for bracing against tree trunks. Aerial insectivore, foraging above the forest canopy. Nests inside hollow trees. Uncommon and seldom observed.

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