Hirundapus celebensis
The Purple Needletail (Hirundapus celebensis) is a captivating medium-large swift, typically measuring 20-25 cm in length with a robust, torpedo-shaped body perfectly adapted for aerial life. Its plumage is a deep sooty-black, often displaying a magnificent purplish-blue iridescent sheen on its back and wings, which creates a stunning contrast with its pristine white lower flanks and undertail coverts. A key diagnostic feature is its distinctive spiny tail, where the stiffened shafts of the t...
This species primarily inhabits lowland to montane evergreen and deciduous forests, frequently found near rugged, hilly, or mountainous terrain and along forest edges. It occurs from sea level up to elevations of approximately 2,000 meters, preferring areas with suitable nesting sites.
The Purple Needletail is an obligate aerial insectivore, feeding primarily on a wide variety of flying insects including beetles, flies, winged ants, and termites, which it captures on the wing with its wide gape.
Purple Needletails are almost exclusively aerial, spending the vast majority of their diurnal lives in continuous flight, only landing at communal roosts or nest sites. They are expert aerial insectivores, relentlessly hawking insects at high altitudes with incredible speed and agility, often per...
The Purple Needletail is endemic to the Southeast Asian island nations of the Philippines and Indonesia, primarily within the Wallacea biogeographical region. Its core breeding and resident range encompasses much of the Philippine archipelago, including the major islands of Luzon, Mindanao, and t...
Least Concern
- The genus name 'Hirundapus' is derived from Latin, combining 'Hirundo' (swallow) and 'Apous' (footless), reflecting their swallow-like flight and the ancient misconception that swifts lacked proper feet. - These birds are among the fastest in sustained flight, capable of incredible speeds, a ch...