What to Know About the African Palm Swift in Uganda?

The African Palm Swift in Uganda is one of the African birds in Uganda seen during Birding in Uganda. The African palm swift, very similar to the Asian palm swift is a small bird, with a very wide distribution facing no obvious threats and certainly increasing in numbers, it was rated by the international Union for Conservation of Nature as being of least concern. It is a common resident breeder in tropical Africa

How Does the African Palm Swift in Uganda Look Like?

The African Palm Swift is a small bird of 16 cm long. The species is mainly pale brown in color. Its wings are swept at the back resembling a crescent or a boomerang.

Its body is slender with a deeply long forked tail.  Both sexes are similar and the juveniles are different with their shorter tails.

The legs are very short and are only used for clinging to vertical surfaces, because swifts never settle voluntarily on the ground.

How Does the African Palm Swift in Uganda Feed?

Most of the time, the African Palm Swift lives in the air, feeding on the insects they catch in their bills. Palm swifts often forage near the ground. They drink on the wing. Foraging is usually done in flocks.

How does the African Palm Swift in Uganda nest?

A shallow cup is built by both sexes. Planting materials include; feathers and plant detritus, glued together with saliva.

The nest is placed upper side of a palm frond, which is usually a Borassus palm, Lala, Northern Lala palm, or the alien genera Livistona and Washingtonia.  Occassionally, the nest can be set in a building or steel bridge.

How Does the African Palm Swift in Uganda Breed?

The African Palm Swift is a monogamous, solitary or colonial nester bird. It is known for breeding in colonies of up to 100 breeding pairs, however it can also nest alone.

How Does the African Palm Swift in Uganda Reproduce?

The female lays 1-2 eggs, the female immediately glues the eggs to the nest using her own saliva. They lay eggs year-round, but mostly from August-November.

Incubation period is from 18-22 days and it is done by both sexes. Both parents brood and feed chicks and fledging of chicks is at about 29-33 days after hatching.