Telacanthura ussheri
The Mottled Spinetail (Telacanthura ussheri) is a small, highly aerial swift native to sub-Saharan Africa, easily distinguished by its sooty-brown plumage, striking white throat patch, and a conspicuous white rump. Measuring approximately 14 cm in length and weighing around 20 grams, its most diagnostic feature, shared with other spinetails, is its short, square tail with stiff, spiny feather shafts extending beyond the vanes, used for vertical clinging. Its underparts often exhibit a subtle ...
This swift primarily inhabits moist woodlands, lowland forests, and savannas, often found near large, mature trees for roosting and nesting. It generally occurs at elevations ranging from sea level up to around 2,000 meters.
Mottled Spinetails are obligate aerial insectivores, feeding almost exclusively on a wide variety of flying insects, which they capture on the wing.
Mottled Spinetails are diurnal, spending nearly their entire day in continuous flight, actively foraging from dawn until dusk. They are highly social, often forming large, noisy communal roosts in hollow trees or caves, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, returning to these sites nightly. Their ...
The Mottled Spinetail has a wide and fragmented distribution across sub-Saharan Africa, primarily existing as a resident species. Four main subspecies are recognized, each with distinct ranges: Telacanthura ussheri ussheri is found from Sierra Leone east through Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and into...
Least Concern
- The 'spinetail' in their name refers to the stiff, projecting shafts of their tail feathers, which they use to brace themselves vertically inside hollow trees or other roosting sites. - They spend nearly their entire lives in the air, only landing to roost or nest, showcasing extreme adaptation...