African Palm Swift vs Mottled Swift

Cypsiurus parvus comparado con Tachymarptis aequatorialis

Side-by-Side Comparison

Atributo African Palm Swift Mottled Swift
Nombre científico Cypsiurus parvus Tachymarptis aequatorialis
Orden Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familia Apodidae Apodidae
Estado de conservación Least Concern Least Concern
Longitud
Envergadura 27,2 cm (10.7 in) 41,5 cm (16.3 in)
Peso 14,38 g (0.51 oz) 94,0 g (3.32 oz)
Dieta Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. Entirely airborne feeder on tiny flies, gnats, and airborne arachnids; one of the most aerial …
Tamaño de la puesta 1-3 1-2
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Hábitats compartidos

Ninguno

African Palm Swift only

Mottled Swift only

Ninguno

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.

Mottled Swift

Canto

Rough, coarse chatter with scratchy texture; bursts of harsh notes blending into continuous buzzy trill near nesting cliffs.

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.

Mottled Swift

Found across equatorial Africa from Guinea east to Ethiopia and south to Zambia. Resident in highland forests and rocky cliffs at 900–3,400 m.

Estado de conservación

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

Least Concern

Mottled Swift

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.

Mottled Swift

Plumaje

Large; dark brown upperparts; mottled white and brown underparts with white scales on each feather creating scaled appearance; pale throat; African montane species closely related to Alpine Swift but with …

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.

Mottled Swift

A large swift (20-22 cm) found in montane regions of eastern and southern Africa, typically at 1,500-3,000 m elevation. Dark plumage with mottled white underparts and throat. Aerial insectivore. Often seen in large flocks soaring over mountain escarpments and gorges.

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