Silver-backed Needletail
Hirundapus cochinchinensis
LCLeast Concern
- Family
- Swifts (Apodidae)
- Order
- Apodiformes
Overview
The silver-backed needletail (Hirundapus cochinchinensis) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.
It is found in Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Java and Taiwan. It is a vagrant to Christmas Island.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Very local breeder, Uttarakhand (western Himalayas) through northeastern India, also southern and eastern China including Hainan, and Taiwan; winters southward through Malayan Peninsula and Java; generally scarce and little-known.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Silver-backed needletail
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
