Cook's Swift vs African Palm Swift
Apus cooki verglichen mit Cypsiurus parvus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Merkmal | Cook's Swift | African Palm Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Wissenschaftlicher Name | Apus cooki | Cypsiurus parvus |
| Ordnung | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Familie | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Erhaltungsstatus | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
| Länge | — | — |
| Flügelspannweite | — | 27,2 cm (10.7 in) |
| Gewicht | 42,949999999999996 g (1.52 oz) | 14,38 g (0.51 oz) |
| Ernährung | Catches aerial plankton — tiny midges, gnats, and ballooning spiders — continuously during soaring flight. | Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. |
| Gelegegröße | -- | 1-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Cook's Swift
Bright, flute-like series of liquid notes; clear melodic phrase ascending slightly then resolving on a sustained pure tone.
African Palm Swift
Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.
Geographic Range & Migration
Cook's Swift
Found from southern Thailand through the Thai-Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Borneo, and adjacent islands. Resident in lowland forest.
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.
Erhaltungsstatus
Cook's Swift
African Palm Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Cook's Swift
Dark sooty-brown upperparts; white rump patch; pale white throat; dark underparts; deeply forked tail; recently split taxon from Pacific Swift complex; plumage essentially identical to close relatives, distinguished primarily by …
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.
About These Birds
Cook's Swift
A medium-sized swift (16-17 cm) found in montane forests from the Malay Peninsula through Southeast Asia to southern China. Dark plumage with a pale throat. Aerial insectivore. Named after Frederick Cook. Until recently considered conspecific with Pacific Swift.
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.