Purple Needletail

Hirundapus celebensis (Sclater, PL, 1866)

25 cmLength60 cmWingspan180 gWeight

Its dark plumage shows a deep purple metallic gloss in strong light.

Busiest months: March · Most records: Philippines, Indonesia, China

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

White lores
White horseshoe-shaped patch on the underside
Oblique white stripe along the middle to inner trailing edge of the underwing
No pale patch on the throat

Where and when it's recorded

Purple Needletail has been recorded at 40 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Mt. Tagubud, New BataanPhilippines53 records
Bislig lowlands – PICOP Road 4Philippines48 records
Dumoga-Bone (Bogani Nani Wartabone) NP – TorautIndonesia41 records

More places

Subic Bay – Hill 394 roadPhilippines41 records
Subic BayPhilippines38 records
Bislig lowlands – PICOP Roads 1-4Philippines33 records
Jariel's Peak – Restaurant, Bgy. Magsaysay, InfantaPhilippines31 records
Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve – TrailPhilippines29 records
Lore Lindu NPIndonesia28 records
Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park – Mid-level TrailsPhilippines25 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Philippines Indonesia China

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 purple needletail (Hirundapus celebensis), or hagibas in Tagalog, is arguably the largest swift in the world. It is native to the Philippine archipelago and the Minahasa Peninsula (Sulawesi).

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

Questions

How big is the Purple Needletail?

The Purple Needletail is about 25 cm long, with a wingspan of 60 cm and weighs around 180 g.

Where does the Purple Needletail live?

Its breeding range: Oriental, Australasia: Philippines (except Palawan group and Sulu Archipelago), Sulawesi, Banggai and Sula islands (east of Sulawesi). It is most often recorded in Philippines, Indonesia and China.

When is the best time to see the Purple Needletail?

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

Is the Purple Needletail endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Purple Needletail as Least Concern.

What does the Purple Needletail eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Purple Needletail in?

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

At a glance

Length: 25 cm
Wingspan: 60 cm
Weight: 180 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Feeds in the air
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 214 mm
Tail: 60 mm
Bill: 16 mm
Tarsus: 19 mm

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

Range

Oriental, Australasia: Philippines (except Palawan group and Sulu Archipelago), Sulawesi, Banggai and Sula islands (east of Sulawesi)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order: Apodiformes
Family: Swifts Apodidae
Genus: Hirundapus

Other birds in the genus Hirundapus

White-throated NeedletailHirundapus caudacutus

Silver-backed NeedletailHirundapus cochinchinensis

Brown-backed NeedletailHirundapus giganteus

Spot-fronted SwiftCypseloides cherriei

White-chinned SwiftCypseloides cryptus

White-fronted SwiftCypseloides storeri

Sooty SwiftCypseloides fumigatus

Rothschild's SwiftCypseloides rothschildi

American Black SwiftCypseloides niger

White-chested SwiftCypseloides lemosi

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Lars Petersson | My World of Bird Photography. ↗

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