Ashy-tailed Swift vs African Palm Swift

Chaetura andrei comparé à Cypsiurus parvus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Ashy-tailed Swift African Palm Swift
Nom scientifique Chaetura andrei Cypsiurus parvus
Ordre Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Famille Apodidae Apodidae
Statut de conservation Vulnerable Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 22,3 cm (8.8 in) 27,2 cm (10.7 in)
Poids 17,1 g (0.60 oz) 14,38 g (0.51 oz)
Régime alimentaire Aerial insectivore foraging continuously in flight, taking tiny flies, beetles, and ballooning spiders. Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km.
Taille de la couvée -- 1-3
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Aucun(e)

Ashy-tailed Swift only

Aucun(e)

African Palm Swift only

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Song & Call Comparison

Ashy-tailed Swift

Chant

Dry rattling chatter with sharp staccato onset; brief bursts of clicking notes followed by descending hissing sound.

African Palm Swift

Chant

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

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Geographic Range & Migration

Ashy-tailed Swift

Found in eastern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Partially migratory; moves north in austral winter. 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.

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Statut de conservation

Vulnerable

Ashy-tailed Swift

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

Ashy-tailed Swift

Plumage

Small; dark sooty-brown overall; distinctly pale ashy-grey rump and tail contrasting with dark body; underparts dark grey-brown; ashy rump and tail the defining feature separating it from other South American …

African Palm Swift

Plumage

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.

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About These Birds

Ashy-tailed Swift

A small swift (11-12 cm) of lowland forests in Venezuela, the Guianas, and Trinidad, with a separate population in southeastern Brazil. Dark plumage with an ashy-grey rump and undertail. Spine-tipped tail. Aerial insectivore. Nests in hollow palms and chimneys.

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.

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