Silver-backed Needletail (Hirundapus cochinchinensis)

Family
Apodidae (Swifts)

Size
19 - 22 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Oustalet, 1878)

Habitat
Forested mountains, at low and mid (200 - 2500m) elevations.

Range (Guide)

Cambodia, China (mainland), India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

From Nepal across southern China. Winters south to Indochina and Indonesia. Isolated population on Taiwan. May also winter in Philippines.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
Generally silent, but wings make audible 'swooosh' when low overhead. Also short, thin descending trills.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files

Silver-backed Needletail (Hirundapus cochinchinensis) [XC611446]
by id from Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Chiayi County, Taiwan Province, Taiwan (flight call, including wingbeats)

Subspecies
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:

rupchandi (Biswas, 1951) - Central Nepal. Winters to Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Java.
cochinchinensis (Oustalet, 1878) - Widespread.
formosanus (Yamashina, 1936) - Taiwan.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Silver-backed Needletail (Hirundapus cochinchinensis) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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