African Palm Swift vs White-rumped Spinetail
Cypsiurus parvus comparé à Zoonavena sylvatica
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | African Palm Swift | White-rumped Spinetail |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Cypsiurus parvus | Zoonavena sylvatica |
| Ordre | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Famille | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longueur | — | — |
| Envergure | 27,2 cm (10.7 in) | 22,1 cm (8.7 in) |
| Poids | 14,38 g (0.51 oz) | 13,0 g (0.46 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | 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 … |
| Taille de la couvée | 1-3 | 3-5 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Habitats partagés
African Palm Swift only
White-rumped Spinetail only
Aucun(e)
Song & Call Comparison
African Palm Swift
Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.
White-rumped Spinetail
Shrill, reedy twittering calls; thin whistled notes cascading rapidly in flight, carrying a faint metallic quality overhead.
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.
White-rumped Spinetail
Found in southwestern India (Western Ghats) and Sri Lanka. Resident in humid forest and forest edge in hills up to 1,800 m.
Statut de conservation
African Palm Swift
White-rumped 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.
White-rumped Spinetail
Small; dark brown-black upperparts; bright white rump band strongly contrasting with dark back; underparts pale whitish; short spiny tail; South Asian forest species; white rump conspicuous in flight distinguishing it …
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.
White-rumped Spinetail
A small spinetail swift (10-11 cm) found in foothill and montane forests of the Indian subcontinent, from the Himalayas to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. Dark plumage with a white rump band and spine-tipped tail. Aerial insectivore. Nests behind waterfalls and in caves.