| White-throated needletail | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Apodidae |
| Genus: | Hirundapus |
| Species: | H. caudacutus |
| Binomial name | |
| Hirundapus caudacutus (Latham, 1801) | |
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Northern summer Resident Northern winter | |
Thewhite-throated needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus), also known as theneedle-tailed swift orspine-tailed swift, is a largeswift in thegenusHirundapus. It is reputed to reach speeds of up to 170 km/h (110 mph) in horizontal flight, but this is unverified because the methods used to measure its speed have not been published.[2]75 km/h (47 mph) is more likely, but this is still at least 100 times the bird's length per second.[3]
They build their nests in rock crevices in cliffs or hollow trees. They do not like to sit on the ground and spend most of their time in the air. They feed on small, flying insects likebeetles,flies,bees andmoths.[4]
The white-throated needletail is amigratory bird, breeding inCentral Asia and southernSiberia, and wintering south in theIndian subcontinent,Southeast Asia andAustralia. It is a rare vagrant inWestern Europe and has been recorded as far west asNorway,Sweden andGreat Britain. In June 2013, an individual was spotted in Great Britain for the first time in 22 years. It later flew into awind turbine and died; its body was sent to a museum.[5][6]
In June 2022, a bird was recovered on an expedition ship MV Ortelius near Fair Isle approx 70 miles off Duncansby Head, Caithness, Scotland and successfully released.[7]
In October 2025, a white-throated needletail was spotted atTophill Low Nature Reserve inEast Yorkshire,England.[8]
White-throated needletails are large swifts with a robust, barrel-like body. They measure about 20 cm and weigh between 110 and 120 grams. They are greyish-brown except for a white throat and a white patch, extending from the base of the tail to the flanks.[4]
Needle-tailed swifts get their name from the spined end of their tail, which is not forked as it is in the typical swifts of the genusApus.
The white-throated needletail was first described by the English ornithologistJohn Latham in 1801 under thebinomial nameHirundo caudacuta.[9] Their current genusHirundapus is constructed from the names of theswallow genusHirundo and the swift genusApus. The specific namecaudacutus comes from theLatin wordscauda meaning "tail" andacutus meaning "pointed".[10]
Media related toHirundapus caudacutus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toHirundapus caudacutus at Wikispecies
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