Brown-backed Needletail (Hirundapus giganteus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Brown-backed Needletail

Hirundapus giganteus (Temminck, 1825)

≈23 cmLength127 gWeight

This large swift spends most of its life in flight and has pointed spines at the tail tip.

Busiest months: February–March · Most records: Thailand, Malaysia, India

Looks like White-throated Needletail

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Stout, barrel-shaped body
  2. Dark brown overall with white undertail-coverts
  3. Prominent stiff spines at the tail tip; tail not forked
  4. Body length about 23 cm, larger than Alpine Swift

Similar species

White-throated Needletail
White-throated Needletail

Similar in build to White-throated Needletail, but Brown-backed Needletail is larger and has more prominent tail spines.

Where and when it's recorded

Brown-backed Needletail has been recorded at 350 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 13 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Chidyatapu Biological ParkIndia572 records
  2. Khao Yai NPThailand406 records
  3. Sepilok – Rainforest Discovery CenterMalaysia367 records
More places
  1. KalatangIndia211 records
  2. Kaeng Krachan NPThailand205 records
  3. Khao Dinsor (Khao Dinso) / Chumphon Raptor CenterThailand194 records
  4. Taman Negara NP Kuala TahanMalaysia173 records
  5. Angkor WatCambodia166 records
  6. Sinharaja Forest ReserveSri Lanka155 records
  7. Khao Yai NP – headquarters vicinityThailand137 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ThailandMalaysiaIndiaCambodiaSri LankaVietnamIndonesiaSingapore

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

Questions

How big is the Brown-backed Needletail?

The Brown-backed Needletail is about ≈23 cm long and weighs around 127 g.

Where does the Brown-backed Needletail live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: widespread. It is most often recorded in Thailand, Malaysia and India.

When is the best time to see the Brown-backed Needletail?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February and March (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Brown-backed Needletail endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Brown-backed Needletail as Least Concern.

What does the Brown-backed Needletail eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Brown-backed Needletail in?

It belongs to the family Swifts (Apodidae), order Apodiformes.

At a glance

Length
≈23 cm
Weight
127 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Feeds in the air
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
203 mm
Tail
62 mm
Bill
10 mm
Tarsus
18 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Swifts Apodidae
Genus
Hirundapus

Other birds in the genus Hirundapus

White-throated NeedletailWhite-throated NeedletailHirundapus caudacutusSilver-backed NeedletailSilver-backed NeedletailHirundapus cochinchinensisPurple NeedletailPurple NeedletailHirundapus celebensisSpot-fronted SwiftSpot-fronted SwiftCypseloides cherrieiWhite-chinned SwiftWhite-chinned SwiftCypseloides cryptusWhite-fronted SwiftWhite-fronted SwiftCypseloides storeriSooty SwiftSooty SwiftCypseloides fumigatusRothschild's SwiftRothschild's SwiftCypseloides rothschildiAmerican Black SwiftAmerican Black SwiftCypseloides nigerWhite-chested SwiftWhite-chested SwiftCypseloides lemosi
Brown-backed Needletail

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Ye Min Aung. ↗

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