Mottled Spinetail (Telacanthura ussheri)
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Mottled Spinetail

Telacanthura ussheri (Sharpe, 1870)

33 gWeight

The mottled spinetail (Telacanthura ussheri) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.

Most records: Ghana, Tanzania, Gambia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Mottled Spinetail has been recorded at 159 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 25 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Tarangire NPTanzania193 records
  2. Arabuko-Sokoke Forest NRKenya127 records
  3. Tarangire NP – Tarangire Safari LodgeTanzania88 records
More places
  1. Tarangire NP – Entrance GateTanzania82 records
  2. Ebekawopa (Abrafo) – 'farm scrub' habitatGhana66 records
  3. Farasuto Forest Community NRGambia63 records
  4. Abuko NRGambia60 records
  5. Brenu Beach – grasslandsGhana60 records
  6. Campement de WassadouSenegal56 records
  7. American University of Central AfricaEquatorial Guinea45 records

Countries and regions with the most records

GhanaTanzaniaGambiaKenyaSenegalEquatorial GuineaUgandaSouth Africa

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

About

The mottled spinetail (Telacanthura ussheri) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Mottled Spinetail?

The Mottled Spinetail weighs around 33 g.

Where does the Mottled Spinetail live?

Its breeding range: Africa: widespread. It is most often recorded in Ghana, Tanzania and Gambia.

Is the Mottled Spinetail endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Mottled Spinetail as Least Concern.

What does the Mottled Spinetail eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Mottled Spinetail in?

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

At a glance

Weight
33 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Feeds in the air
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
146 mm
Tail
37 mm
Bill
8 mm
Tarsus
13 mm

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

Range

Africa: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Swifts Apodidae
Genus
Telacanthura

Other birds in the genus Telacanthura

Black SpinetailBlack SpinetailTelacanthura melanopygiaSpot-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 lemosiGreat Dusky SwiftGreat Dusky SwiftCypseloides senexTepui SwiftTepui SwiftStreptoprocne phelpsi
Mottled Spinetail

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová. ↗

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