Hirundapus cochinchinensis
The Silver-backed Needletail (Hirundapus cochinchinensis) is a medium-sized and robust swift, typically measuring 19-22 cm in length with a formidable wingspan of 45-50 cm. Its plumage is predominantly sooty-black, often displaying a subtle iridescent sheen, sharply contrasted by a distinctive silvery-white patch on its lower back and rump, along with white undertail-coverts. This striking pattern makes it readily identifiable in flight, distinguishing it from other dark swifts. A hallmark of...
Found primarily in montane evergreen and deciduous forests, often near cliffs, caves, or large hollow trees, typically at elevations between 800 and 2,500 meters.
Exclusively an aerial insectivore, consuming a wide variety of flying insects including beetles, flies, ants, bees, and termites, all captured on the wing.
The Silver-backed Needletail exemplifies an aerial lifestyle, spending nearly its entire diurnal period aloft, only settling to roost and nest. Foraging involves acrobatic, high-speed pursuits of insects, often in loose, swirling flocks over forest canopies, open clearings, or mountain ridges. Ro...
The Silver-backed Needletail is predominantly a migratory species, breeding across mainland Southeast Asia. Its breeding range encompasses southern China (Yunnan, Hainan), Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and extends west to northeastern India (Manipur) and Bangladesh. During the non-b...
Least Concern
- Silver-backed Needletails are among the fastest birds in horizontal flight, a trait shared with other needletails, making them masters of the air. - They spend an astonishing amount of their lives airborne, even mating and potentially sleeping while on the wing. - The 'needletail' name refers t...