African Palm Swift (Cypsiurus parvus)
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African Palm Swift

Cypsiurus parvus (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)

16 cmLength14 gWeight

The African palm swift (Cypsiurus parvus) is a small swift.

Most records: South Africa, Kenya, Uganda

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

African Palm Swift has been recorded at 600 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 45 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Nairobi NPKenya1,366 records
  2. Entebbe Botanical GardenUganda995 records
  3. Rietvlei NRSouth Africa659 records
More places
  1. Avis DamNamibia629 records
  2. Tarangire NPTanzania570 records
  3. Kruger NP – Skukuza CampSouth Africa550 records
  4. Etosha NP – Okaukuejo CampNamibia450 records
  5. Samburu NRKenya450 records
  6. Campement de WassadouSenegal446 records
  7. Kruger NP – Lower Sabie Rest CampSouth Africa444 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South AfricaKenyaUgandaTanzaniaNamibiaGhanaGambiaZimbabwe

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The African palm swift (Cypsiurus parvus) 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.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the African Palm Swift?

The African Palm Swift is about 16 cm long and weighs around 14 g.

Where does the African Palm Swift live?

Its breeding range: Africa: widespread. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Kenya and Uganda.

Is the African Palm Swift endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the African Palm Swift as Least Concern.

What does the African Palm Swift eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the African Palm Swift in?

It belongs to the family Swifts (Apodidae), order Apodiformes.

At a glance

Length
16 cm
Weight
14 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Feeds in the air
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
136 mm
Tail
97 mm
Bill
7 mm
Tarsus
9 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Swifts Apodidae
Genus
Cypsiurus

Other birds in the genus Cypsiurus

Malagasy Palm SwiftMalagasy Palm SwiftCypsiurus gracilisAsian Palm SwiftAsian Palm SwiftCypsiurus balasiensisSpot-fronted SwiftSpot-fronted SwiftCypseloides cherrieiWhite-chinned SwiftWhite-chinned SwiftCypseloides cryptusWhite-fronted SwiftWhite-fronted SwiftCypseloides storeriSooty SwiftSooty SwiftCypseloides fumigatusRothschild's SwiftRothschild's SwiftCypseloides rothschildiAmerican Black SwiftAmerican Black SwiftCypseloides nigerWhite-chested SwiftWhite-chested SwiftCypseloides lemosiGreat Dusky SwiftGreat Dusky SwiftCypseloides senex
African Palm Swift

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Ian N. White. ↗

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