African Palm Swift
Cypsiurus parvus
The African Palm Swift (Cypsiurus parvus) is a common swift found in 47 countries, weighing about 14 g. The African palm swift is a small swift.
About the African Palm Swift
The African palm swift is a small swift. It is very similar to the Asian palm swift, Cypsiurus balasiensis, and was formerly considered to be the same species. The Malagasy palm swift was also recently split from this species. This is a common species with a very wide distribution which faces no obvious threats and may be increasing in numbers as a result of the cultivation of the exotic Washington palm, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This 16 cm long species is mainly pale brown in colour. It has long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. The body is slender, and the tail is long and deeply forked, although it is usually held closed. The call is a loud, shrill scream. Sexes are similar, and young birds differ mainly in their shorter tails. Palm swifts have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces, since swifts never settle voluntarily on the ground.
Where it lives
When to see it
The African Palm Swift can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an African Palm Swift?
- This 16 cm long species is mainly pale brown in colour. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an African Palm Swift?
- The African Palm Swift is a tiny sized bird weighing about 14 g.
- Where can you see an African Palm Swift?
- The African Palm Swift occurs in 47 countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
- What birds look similar to an African Palm Swift?
- The African Palm Swift is most easily confused with the Asian Palm Swift and the Malagasy Palm Swift.
- Is the African Palm Swift endangered?
- The African Palm Swift is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the African Palm Swift for real
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