>Hirundapus giganteus (Brown-backed Needletail)

Brown-backed Needletail

 

Brown-backed Needletail
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Hirundapus
Species:	H. giganteus
Binomial name
Hirundapus giganteus (Temminck, 1825)

The Brown-backed Needletail (Hirundapus giganteus), or Brown Needletail, is a large swift.

These birds have very short legs which they use only mainly for clinging to vertical surfaces. They never settle voluntarily on the ground and spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks.

These swifts are resident breeders in hill forests in southern Asia from India east to Indonesia and the Philippines.

They build their nests in rock crevices in cliffs, laying 3-5 eggs. The flight is impressively fast, even compared to other swifts.

The Brown-backed Needletail is a very large swift, and at 23cm is bigger than the Alpine Swift and the White-throated Needletail. It has a similar build to the latter species, with a heavy barrel-like body. They are dark brown except for a white undertail, which extends on to the flanks.

The Hirundapus needletailed swifts get their name from the spiny end to the tail, which is not forked as in the Apus typical swifts.

>Hirundapus cochinchinensis (Silver-backed Needletail)

Silver-backed Needletail

 

Silver-backed Needletail
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Hirundapus
Species:	H. cochinchinensis
Binomial name
Hirundapus cochinchinensis (Oustalet, 1878)

The Silver-backed Needletail (Hirundapus cochinchinensis) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. It is found in Cambodia, 
China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal,Singapore, 
Thailand, and Vietnam. It is a vagrant to Christmas Island. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

>Hirundapus celebensis (Purple Needletail)

Purple Needletail

White-naped Swift
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Hirundapus
Species:	H. celebensis
Binomial name
Hirundapus celebensis (Sclater, 1865)

The Purple Needletail is the largest swift found in the Old World. This species is distributed from northeastern Sulawesi through the Philippine islands of Luzon, Mindoro, Marinduque, 
Catanduanes,Calayan, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Leyte, Biliran, 
Mindanao and Basilan.

This bird lives in various forests and open country. They may found in the lowlands or in hills, from 150-2000 m (500-6600 ft) high in elevation.

These are huge swifts, measuring on average about 25 cm (10 inches) long and weighing from 170 to 203 grams (6-7.2 oz). Only the White-naped Swift rival this species for size. The overall plumage is mostly uniform blackish, with a whitish loral marking. This species has the large size, white horseshoe-shaped underside-marking, and the subtly-needled tail typical of the needletails. Compared to other needletails, it is extremely dark and is the only one without a pale throat patch.

Few detailed descriptions of the life history of the Purple Needletail are known. It is a gregarious species, probably never leaving a group of at least 20 birds. The large size of these swifts is said to be apparent even from a distance. It is believed to take any kind of large, flying insect; sometimes even hanging around bee-farms to pick off members of a hive. The breeding habits are unknown, although it is thought that this is a cave-nesting bird. The voice is also unknown.

The commonality of this species is not really known. They are thought to be scarce to uncommon through most of their range, but are not endangered and can be numerous in some parts of the Philippines.

>Hirundapus caudacutus (White-throated Needletail)

White-throated Needletail

White-throated Needletail
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Hirundapus
Species:	H. caudacutus
Binomial name
Hirundapus caudacutus (Latham, 1802)
Summer      Resident      Winter

The White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus), also known as Needle-tailed Swiftor Spine-tailed Swift, is a large swift. It is the fastest-flying bird in flapping flight, being capable of speeds up to 170 km/h (105 mph).

These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. They build their nests in rock crevices in cliffs or hollow trees. They never settle voluntarily on the ground and spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks.

These swifts breed in rocky hills in central Asia and southern Siberia. This species is migratory, wintering south in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia. It is a rare vagrant in western Europe, but has been recorded as far west as Norway, Sweden and Great Britain.

The White-throated Needletail is a mid sized bird, similar in size to Alpine Swift, but a quite different build, with a heavier barrel-like body. They are black except for a white throat, white undertail, which extends on to the flanks, and a somewhat paler brown back.

The Hirundapus needletailed swifts get their name from the spiny end to the tail, which is not forked as in the Apus typical swifts.

>>Genus Hirundapus

Hirundapus

Hirundapus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Hirundapus Hodgson, 1837

Hirundapus is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. It contains the following species:

• White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus)
• Purple Needletail (Hirundapus celebensis)
• Silver-backed Needletail (Hirundapus cochinchinensis)
• Brown-backed Needletail (Hirundapus giganteus)