Silver-rumped Needletail
Silver-rumped NeedletailSilver-rumped NeedletailSilver-rumped NeedletailSilver-rumped Needletail

Silver-rumped Needletail

Rhaphidura leucopygialis

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Kinabalu Park
94 Verified records at Kinabalu Park
April Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

The silver-rumped spinetail or silver-rumped needletail (Rhaphidura leucopygialis, sometimes spelled Raphidura leucopygialis) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Research on the silver- Rumped spine tail has utilized facultative heterothermy, or even torpor, as a physiological mechanism to reduce its metabolic rate and conserve energy in its tropical environment. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-rumped Needletail sighting in Kinabalu Park, based on 94 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Kinabalu Park

Plume-toed Swiftlet

Plume-toed Swiftlet

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Collocalia affinis

40–50% · Likely
House Swift
LC Endemic

House Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Apus nipalensis

<5% · Rare
Waterfall Swift
LC

Waterfall Swift

Bird

Hydrochous gigas

<5% · Rare
White-nest Swiftlet
LC

White-nest Swiftlet

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Aerodramus fuciphagus

<5% · Rare
Asian Palm-Swift
LC

Asian Palm-Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Cypsiurus balasiensis

<5% · Rare
Brown-backed Needletail
LC

Brown-backed Needletail

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hirundapus giganteus

<5% · Rare
White-throated Needletail
LC

White-throated Needletail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hirundapus caudacutus

<5% · Rare
Pacific Swift
LC

Pacific Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus pacificus

Insufficient data
Black-nest Swiftlet
LC

Black-nest Swiftlet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aerodramus maximus

Insufficient data
Bornean Swiftlet

Bornean Swiftlet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Collocalia dodgei

Insufficient data
Gray-rumped Treeswift
LC

Gray-rumped Treeswift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hemiprocne longipennis

<5% · Rare
Whiskered Treeswift
LC

Whiskered Treeswift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hemiprocne comata

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
5–10
Apr
5–10
May
<5
Jun
5–10
Jul
5–10
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
5–10
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
20–30%
2 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
20–30%
3 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
10–20%
4 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
5–10%
5 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
6 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
7 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Silver-rumped Needletail in Kinabalu Park?

About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-rumped Needletail sighting in Kinabalu Park, based on 94 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Silver-rumped Needletail in Kinabalu Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Silver-rumped Needletail in Kinabalu Park in our monthly data.

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