Brown-backed Needletail

Overview

The brown-backed needletail (Hirundapus giganteus) is a large swift and one of the largest species of its kind globally. It spends the majority of its life in the air, relying on its ability to cling to vertical surfaces due to very short legs, and rarely settles on the ground voluntarily.

Identification

• Size: Approximately 23 cm in length, making it larger than the Alpine swift and white-throated needletail.
• Plumage: Predominantly dark brown with a white undertail that extends onto the flanks; the southern India subspecies features white lores.
• Body shape: Heavy, barrel-like body similar to the white-throated needletail.
• Tail: Distinctive spined ends that are more prominent than in other needletail species, lacking the fork found in typical swifts.
• Flight: Impressively fast, even when compared to other swift species.

Habitat

Resident breeders in hill forests across southern India and southeast Asia. The range extends to the Greater Sunda islands of Indonesia and Palawan in the southern Philippines. Nests are constructed within rock crevices on cliffs.

Diet

These birds feed on insects caught in their beaks while flying, a strategy that supports their lifestyle of spending most of their lives in the air.

Did you know?

Despite being classified as a swift, this species is part of the needletail group, named for the spined ends of its non-forked tail, which are more prominent than in related species.