Neafrapus cassini
Cassin's Spinetail (Neafrapus cassini) is a medium-sized, highly aerial swift known for its distinctive morphology and flight capabilities. Measuring approximately 14-16 cm in length and weighing 35-45 grams, its plumage is predominantly sooty black, strikingly contrasted by a clean, broad white rump patch, which is its most reliable field mark. The tail is short and squared, featuring stiff, spiny projections on the feather shafts, a characteristic adaptation for vertical clinging in roosts ...
This swift primarily inhabits the canopy and mid-story of tropical moist broadleaf forests and lowland rainforests, typically found at elevations ranging from sea level up to 1,500 meters.
Its diet consists almost exclusively of aerial insects, including ants, termites, small beetles, flies, and other flying arthropods, captured via continuous aerial hawking.
Cassin's Spinetail is a diurnal species, spending nearly its entire active life on the wing, foraging continuously during daylight hours. At night, it roosts communally in large, often hollow trees or natural cavities, utilizing its spiny tail to brace itself against vertical surfaces. Foraging i...
Cassin's Spinetail is a resident species found across a broad swathe of West and Central Africa, exhibiting little to no migratory behavior. Its breeding and year-round range extends from Nigeria eastward through Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo, continuing into t...
Least Concern
- Cassin's Spinetails possess uniquely stiff, spiny tail feathers that they use like a prop to brace themselves against vertical surfaces when roosting or nesting inside tree cavities. - Like most swifts, this species rarely, if ever, lands on the ground, spending nearly its entire life in flight...