White-rumped Swift vs Alpine Swift

Apus caffer verglichen mit Tachymarptis melba

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal White-rumped Swift Alpine Swift
Wissenschaftlicher Name Apus caffer Tachymarptis melba
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Apodidae Apodidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 29,0 cm (11.4 in) 43,9 cm (17.3 in)
Gewicht 23,0 g (0.81 oz) 97,5 g (3.44 oz)
Ernährung Aerial insectivore taking small flying insects and spiders; may forage at great heights following thermal … Aerial insectivore taking small flying insects and spiders; may forage at great heights following thermal …
Gelegegröße 1-3 1-4
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

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White-rumped Swift only

Alpine Swift only

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Song & Call Comparison

White-rumped Swift

Gesang

Deep, guttural churring with resonant buzzing quality; prolonged low-frequency trill vibrating persistently through dense foliage.

Alpine Swift

Gesang

Rapid series of short, clipped whistles; bright, clean notes delivered in quick succession with occasional doubled phrase.

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Geographic Range & Migration

White-rumped Swift

Breeds in southern Europe and North Africa east to Central Asia. Migratory; winters in sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal south to South Africa.

Alpine Swift

Breeds from southern Europe and North Africa east through Central Asia and the Himalayas to India. Migratory; winters in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

White-rumped Swift

Least Concern

Alpine Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

White-rumped Swift

Gefieder

Dark sooty-brown; narrow elongated white rump patch; white throat; underparts dark; forked tail; African species; narrower and more elongated white rump than Little Swift; deeply forked tail unlike the square …

Alpine Swift

Gefieder

Large; dark brown upperparts; white throat patch separated from white belly by dark brown breast band; brown flanks; bold tricoloured underpart pattern; one of Europe's largest swifts with distinctive white …

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About These Birds

White-rumped Swift

A small swift (14 cm) found across sub-Saharan Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Dark plumage with a white rump and throat patch. Aerial insectivore. Famously uses the mud nests of other swallows and martins, adding its own feather and saliva lining. A brood parasite of nest architecture.

Alpine Swift

A large swift (20-22 cm, wingspan 54-60 cm) with a white belly and throat contrasting with dark brown upperparts. Found from southern Europe and Africa to Central Asia. Aerial insectivore, foraging at great heights. Nests on cliff faces in large colonies. Powerful, fast flier.

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