African Palm Swift vs Purple Needletail

Cypsiurus parvus comparado con Hirundapus celebensis

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Atributo African Palm Swift Purple Needletail
Nombre científico Cypsiurus parvus Hirundapus celebensis
Orden Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familia Apodidae Apodidae
Estado de conservación Least Concern Least Concern
Longitud
Envergadura 27,2 cm (10.7 in) 42,7 cm (16.8 in)
Peso 14,38 g (0.51 oz) 186,5 g (6.58 oz)
Dieta Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. Catches aerial plankton of small insects and spiders in fast sweeping flight; roosts in rock …
Tamaño de la puesta 1-3 --
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Hábitats compartidos

African Palm Swift only

Purple Needletail only

Ninguno

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Song & Call Comparison

African Palm Swift

Canto

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

Purple Needletail

Canto

Thin, penetrating screech with piercing quality; rapid trilling notes cascading steeply, cutting through jungle noise effectively.

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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.

Purple Needletail

Found on Sulawesi, the Philippines, and adjacent islands in Wallacea. Resident in lowland and hill forest, foraging over forest and open areas.

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Estado de conservación

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

Least Concern

Purple Needletail

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How to Tell Them Apart

African Palm Swift

Plumaje

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.

Purple Needletail

Plumaje

Very large; dark black-brown upperparts with intense purple gloss on back and wing coverts; white throat patch; white undertail coverts; short spiny tail; Sulawesi endemic and the heaviest needletail; stunning …

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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.

Purple Needletail

El vencejo de aguja de Célebes es un vencejo grande endémico de la isla de Sulawesi, Indonesia. Tiene alas largas y estrechas con plumaje principalmente oscuro. Captura insectos al vuelo. Como otros vencejos, pasa la mayor parte de su vida en vuelo. Anida en acantilados o huecos. La pérdida de hábitat en Sulawesi es una amenaza potencial para esta especie de distribución restringida.

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