Western Glossy Swiftlet vs African Palm Swift

Collocalia affinis в сравнении с Cypsiurus parvus

Side-by-Side Comparison

Характеристика Western Glossy Swiftlet African Palm Swift
Научное название Collocalia affinis Cypsiurus parvus
Отряд Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Семейство Apodidae Apodidae
Охранный статус Not Evaluated Least Concern
Длина
Размах крыльев 27,2 cm (10.7 in)
Масса 8,65 g (0.31 oz) 14,38 g (0.51 oz)
Питание Aerial insectivore consuming minute dipterans, midges, and ballooning spiders caught in continuous fast flight. Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km.
Размер кладки 1-3 1-3
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Общие среды обитания

Western Glossy Swiftlet only

Нет

African Palm Swift only

Song & Call Comparison

Western Glossy Swiftlet

Пение

High, thin 'tsit-tsit'; rapid chittering in flight; echolocation clicks used inside caves; tiny size produces very high-pitched thin calls; soft twittering over forest

African Palm Swift

Пение

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

Geographic Range & Migration

Western Glossy Swiftlet

Found from the Andaman Islands and northeastern India through Southeast Asia to Borneo and the Philippines. Resident in diverse forest habitats.

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.

Охранный статус

Not Evaluated

Western Glossy Swiftlet

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

How to Tell Them Apart

Western Glossy Swiftlet

Оперение

Tiny; glossy blue-black upperparts with green iridescence; underparts dark sooty-grey; white-buff rump band; deeply forked tail; recently split taxon similar to Philippine Glossy Swiftlet but with subtly different rump and …

African Palm Swift

Оперение

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.

About These Birds

Western Glossy Swiftlet

A small swiftlet (9-10 cm) found in lowland and hill forests of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. Glossy blue-black upperparts with a paler rump. Aerial insectivore, feeding on tiny flying insects. Colonial nester in caves and buildings.

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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