Brown-backed Needletail
Brown-backed NeedletailBrown-backed NeedletailBrown-backed NeedletailBrown-backed Needletail

Brown-backed Needletail

Hirundapus giganteus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
5–10% · With luck
overall probability at Sinharaja Forest Reserve
73 Verified records at Sinharaja Forest Reserve
November Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

The brown-backed needletail (Hirundapus giganteus), or brown needletail, is a large swift. These birds have very short legs which they use only mainly for clinging to vertical surfaces. They never settle voluntarily on the ground and spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks. These swifts are resident breeders in hill forests in southern India and southeast Asia, extending to the Greater Sunda islands of Indonesia and Palawan in the southern Philippines. They build their nests in rock crevices in cliffs, laying 3-5 eggs. The flight is impressively fast, even compared to other swifts. Wikipedia →

5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-backed Needletail sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, based on 73 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Sinharaja Forest Reserve

🐦 No photo available
LC

Indian Swiftlet

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Aerodramus unicolor

30–40% · Possible
Asian Palm-Swift
LC

Asian Palm-Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Cypsiurus balasiensis

20–30% · With luck
Little Swift
LC

Little Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus affinis

10–20% · With luck
Alpine Swift
LC

Alpine Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Tachymarptis melba

<5% · Rare
Crested Treeswift
LC

Crested Treeswift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hemiprocne coronata

10–20% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

5–10
Jan
<5
Feb
5–10
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
5–10
Aug
<5
Sep
5–10
Oct
10–20
Nov
<5
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 Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
20–30%
2 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
3 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
5–10%
4 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
5–10%
5 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
5–10%
6 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
7 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
<5%
8 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
9 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
10 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
11 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
12 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
13 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
14 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
15 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
16 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
17 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
18 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
19 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
20 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
Insufficient data
21 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Brown-backed Needletail in Sinharaja Forest Reserve?

About 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-backed Needletail sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, based on 73 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Brown-backed Needletail in Sinharaja Forest Reserve?

November has the highest sighting rate for Brown-backed Needletail in Sinharaja Forest Reserve in our monthly data.

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