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Side-by-Side Comparison

属性	African Swift	Plain Swift
学名	Apus barbatus	Apus unicolor
目	Caprimulgiformes	Caprimulgiformes
科	Apodidae	Apodidae
保护状况	Least Concern	Least Concern
体长	—	—
翼展	34.2 cm (13.5 in)	29.9 cm (11.8 in)
体重	42.666666666666664 g (1.51 oz)	24.2 g (0.85 oz)
食性	Completely aerial diet of small flying insects and spiders; never forages on the ground or …	Exclusively aerial insectivore catching small flying insects and spiders drifting in aerial plankton at altitude.
产卵数	1-2	2
Population Trend	—	—

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Habitat Comparison

共同栖息地

无

African Swift only

无

Plain Swift only

🌲 Forest 🏖️ Coastal

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Song & Call Comparison

African Swift

鸣唱

Sharp, piercing screech followed by rapid chatter; intense series of notes escalating in speed and volume before fading.

Plain Swift

鸣唱

Harsh, grating scream with descending inflection; loud raspy calls carrying urgency, often given during colony disturbance.

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Geographic Range & Migration

African Swift

Found across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to Ethiopia and south to South Africa. One of Africa's most common swift species.

Plain Swift

Breeds on the Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands. Resident on these Macaronesian archipelagos. Closely related to Common Swift.

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保护状况

Least Concern

African Swift

Least Concern

Plain Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

African Swift

羽毛

Dark sooty-brown throughout; pale throat patch whitish-grey; underparts slightly paler; broadly similar to Common Swift but slightly larger and marginally paler below; widespread Sub-Saharan African species.

Plain Swift

羽毛

Dark sooty-brown plumage; very faint pale chin; no distinct throat patch; entirely plain and uniform; smaller than Common Swift; Macaronesian endemic breeding in Canary Islands and Madeira; coloration slightly paler …

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About These Birds

African Swift

非洲黑雨燕广泛分布于撒哈拉以南非洲，在岩壁和建筑物缝隙中筑巢。

Plain Swift

单色雨燕在大西洋岛屿和非洲西北部繁殖，具有黑褐色羽毛。

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