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White-throated Needletail

Hirundapus caudacutusOrder: APODIFORMESFamily: Swifts (Apodidae)

White-throated Needletail Breeding Male Portrait
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General

White-throated Needletail: Large swift, gray-brown overall with white throat and undertail. Wings are glossed with green. Tail is short and square, with protruding feather shafts giving a spiked appearance. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

White-throated Needletail: Native of Eurasia, sometimes visits the outer Aleutians in the springtime. Preferred habitats include skies over cities, timbered ridges, and hilltops.

Voice Text

"chitter-chitter-chitter"

Interesting Facts

  • The White-throated Needletail was first described in 1802 by John Latham, an English physician, naturalist and author.
  • It was formerly known as the Spine-tailed Swift. It is also sometimes known as the Storm-bird or Stormbird.
  • This large swift is often mistaken in flight for a small predatory bird, but its long curved wings and white markings should identify it.
  • A group of swifts are collectively known as a "box", "flock", "screaming frenzy", and "swoop" of swifts.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for White-throated Needletail
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Hirundapus caudacutus
Length7.5 - 9 Inches
Wingspan20 Inches

White-throated Needletail

White-throated Needletail: Large swift, gray-brown overall with white throat and undertail. Wings are glossed with green. Tail is short and square, with protruding feather shafts giving a spiked appearance. Very swift flight with several rapid wing beats followed by swooping glides.

● Song: "chitter-chitter-chitter"

● Foraging & Feeding: White-throated Needletail: Feeds on flying insects, such as termites, beetles, and flies; forages in flight.

● Breeding & nesting: White-throated Needletail: Three to six white eggs are laid in a nest made of various materials, glued together with saliva, and built in a hollow or similar crevice high in a tall conifer. Incubation ranges from 17 to 23 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: White-throated Needletail: None in range.

Flight Pattern

Very swift flight with several rapid wing beats followed by swooping glides.
White-throated Needletail Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: White-throated Needletail: Native of Eurasia, sometimes visits the outer Aleutians in the springtime. Preferred habitats include skies over cities, timbered ridges, and hilltops.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationCasual
MigrationMigratory
Weight4.2 Ounces