African palm swift facts for kids
Quick facts for kids African palm swift |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Cypsiurus
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| Species: |
parvus
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The African palm swift (Cypsiurus parvus) is a small bird. It is a type of swift. Swifts are known for flying very fast. This bird looks a lot like the Asian palm swift. People used to think they were the same species. The Malagasy palm swift was also once considered the same. This swift is very common. It lives in many places. Scientists believe it is not in danger. In fact, its numbers might be growing. This is because more Washington palm trees are being planted. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says it is a "least concern" species. This means it is not threatened.
What Does the African Palm Swift Look Like?
This swift is about 16 centimeters (6 inches) long. It is mostly a pale brown color. Its wings are long and swept back. They look like a crescent moon or a boomerang. The bird's body is thin. It has a long, deeply forked tail. However, it usually holds its tail closed.
The call of this swift is a loud, shrill scream. Male and female swifts look very similar. Young birds mostly have shorter tails. Palm swifts have very short legs. They only use these legs to cling to straight-up surfaces. Swifts never land on the ground by choice.
Where Do African Palm Swifts Live?
The African palm swift lives in many countries. It is found across a large part of tropical Africa. It also lives in parts of the Middle East.
Some of the countries where it lives include:
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Congo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Ivory Coast
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mayotte
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Uganda
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
How Do African Palm Swifts Live?
These swifts spend most of their lives flying in the air. They catch insects with their beaks while flying. Palm swifts often hunt for food close to the ground. They also drink water while they are flying.
The African palm swift is a common bird. It lives and breeds in tropical Africa. It builds its nest under a palm leaf. The nest is made of down and feathers. The swift uses its own saliva to glue the nest to the leaf. It also uses saliva to stick its two eggs into the nest.
This bird flies very fast. It lives in open areas. It is often seen near oil palm trees. But it also lives in wooded areas with scattered trees. It can be found in thorny bushes and on farms too.
