African Palm Swift vs Sabine's Spinetail
Cypsiurus parvus comparé à Rhaphidura sabini
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | African Palm Swift | Sabine's Spinetail |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Cypsiurus parvus | Rhaphidura sabini |
| Ordre | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Famille | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longueur | — | — |
| Envergure | 27,2 cm (10.7 in) | 24,7 cm (9.7 in) |
| Poids | 14,38 g (0.51 oz) | 17,75 g (0.63 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. | Aerial insectivore feeding on tiny flies, beetles, and ballooning spiders in rapid powerful aerial pursuit. |
| Taille de la couvée | 1-3 | 2-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Habitats partagés
African Palm Swift only
Aucun(e)
Sabine's Spinetail only
Song & Call Comparison
African Palm Swift
Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.
Sabine's Spinetail
Faint, needle-thin whistle tapering at the end; soft twittering interspersed with clicking flight notes, barely audible.
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.
Sabine's Spinetail
Found in West and Central Africa from Sierra Leone east to the DRC and Uganda. Resident in lowland rainforest and forest edge.
Statut de conservation
African Palm Swift
Sabine's Spinetail
How to Tell Them Apart
African Palm Swift
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.
Sabine's Spinetail
Small; dark blackish-brown upperparts; white rump patch; underparts pale grey-white; short spiny tail; West African rainforest species; closely resembles Silver-rumped Spinetail but purer white rump with less silvery sheen.
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.
Sabine's Spinetail
A small spinetail swift (11-12 cm) of lowland forests across West and Central Africa. Dark plumage with a white rump patch. Spine-tipped tail. Aerial insectivore, often seen foraging over forest canopy in mixed-species swift flocks. Nests in hollow trees.