African Palm Swift vs Brown-backed Needletail

Cypsiurus parvus เปรียบเทียบกับ Hirundapus giganteus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

คุณสมบัติ African Palm Swift Brown-backed Needletail
ชื่อวิทยาศาสตร์ Cypsiurus parvus Hirundapus giganteus
อันดับ Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
วงศ์ตระกูล Apodidae Apodidae
สถานะการอนุรักษ์ Least Concern Least Concern
ความยาว
กว้างปีก 27.2 cm (10.7 in) 40.6 cm (16.0 in)
น้ำหนัก 14.38 g (0.51 oz) 145.0 g (5.11 oz)
อาหาร 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.
จำนวนไข่ 1-3 3-5
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

ถิ่นที่อยู่อาศัยร่วมกัน

African Palm Swift only

Brown-backed Needletail only

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Song & Call Comparison

African Palm Swift

เสียงร้อง

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

Brown-backed Needletail

เสียงร้อง

Rough, buzzy chatter with intermittent higher squeaks; coarse twittering delivered continuously throughout aerial foraging.

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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.

Brown-backed Needletail

Found from India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to Borneo and the Philippines. Resident in lowland and hill forest, soaring over ridges.

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สถานะการอนุรักษ์

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

Least Concern

Brown-backed Needletail

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How to Tell Them Apart

African Palm Swift

ขนนก

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.

Brown-backed Needletail

ขนนก

Very large; dark brown upperparts with bronze gloss; no pale back saddle unlike congeners; white throat patch; white undertail coverts; short spiny tail; largest Hirundapus; brown rather than black overall …

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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.

Brown-backed Needletail

A very large needletail swift (22-25 cm), the largest swift in Asia. Dark brown plumage with a paler brown back. Spine-tipped tail. Found in montane forests from India to Southeast Asia. Aerial insectivore with powerful flight. Often seen soaring over mountain ridges.

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