Ridgetop Swiftlet vs African Palm Swift

Collocalia isonota comparé à Cypsiurus parvus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Ridgetop Swiftlet African Palm Swift
Nom scientifique Collocalia isonota Cypsiurus parvus
Ordre Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Famille Apodidae Apodidae
Statut de conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 27,2 cm (10.7 in)
Poids 6,483333333333333 g (0.23 oz) 14,38 g (0.51 oz)
Régime alimentaire Obligate aerial feeder on microscopic flying insects and spiders; highly social forager over tropical forest. 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

Ridgetop Swiftlet only

Aucun(e)

African Palm Swift only

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Song & Call Comparison

Ridgetop Swiftlet

Chant

Thin, high twittering; soft 'chip-chip' over Solomon Islands ridges; echolocation clicks in caves; one of smallest swiftlets; calls barely audible; rapid chittering in flight

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

Ridgetop Swiftlet

Endemic to the Solomon Islands. Found on Bougainville, Guadalcanal, and other major islands in lowland rainforest.

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

Not Evaluated

Ridgetop Swiftlet

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

Ridgetop Swiftlet

Plumage

Tiny swiftlet; glossy dark blue-green upperparts; pale buff rump band; dark sooty-brown underparts; slightly forked tail; recently described Philippine endemic; differs from congeners primarily in voice and ridge-top ridge habitat.

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

Ridgetop Swiftlet

A small swiftlet (9-10 cm) found in montane regions of the Philippines and the Lesser Sundas. Dark glossy plumage. Aerial insectivore. Recently split from Glossy Swiftlet. A high-altitude specialist, often found above 1,000 m on mountain ridges.

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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