African Palm Swift vs Great Swallow-tailed Swift

Cypsiurus parvus verglichen mit Panyptila sanctihieronymi

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal African Palm Swift Great Swallow-tailed Swift
Wissenschaftlicher Name Cypsiurus parvus Panyptila sanctihieronymi
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Apodidae Apodidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 27,2 cm (10.7 in) 36,8 cm (14.5 in)
Gewicht 14,38 g (0.51 oz) 48,416666666666664 g (1.71 oz)
Ernährung Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. Catches aerial plankton — tiny midges, gnats, and ballooning spiders — continuously during soaring flight.
Gelegegröße 1-3 2-3
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

African Palm Swift only

Great Swallow-tailed Swift only

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Song & Call Comparison

African Palm Swift

Gesang

Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.

Great Swallow-tailed Swift

Gesang

Soft, rippling trill with liquid overtones; easy flowing sequence of mellow notes carrying pleasantly across open sky.

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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.

Great Swallow-tailed Swift

Found from southern Mexico through Guatemala, Honduras, to Costa Rica. Resident in humid highland forest at 600–2,000 m elevation.

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Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

Least Concern

Great Swallow-tailed Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

African Palm Swift

Gefieder

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.

Great Swallow-tailed Swift

Gefieder

Black upperparts with white throat and white flanks; bold white rump patch; extremely long deeply forked tail with white outer feather edges; Central American species with the most spectacular forked …

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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.

Great Swallow-tailed Swift

A large swift (18-20 cm) with an extremely long, deeply forked tail. Dark plumage with a white throat and collar. Found in highland forests from southern Mexico to Honduras. Aerial insectivore, foraging over mountain canyons and pine-oak forests. Uncommon and rarely observed.

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