Silver-backed Needletail
Tristan Jobin · CC_BY_4_0 via GBIF
Silver-backed Needletail
Tristan Jobin · CC_BY_4_0 via GBIF
Silver-backed Needletail
Tristan Jobin · CC_BY_4_0 via GBIF
Silver-backed Needletail
Tristan Jobin · CC_BY_4_0 via GBIF
Silver-backed Needletail
CC_BY_4_0 via GBIF
Silver-backed Needletail
Tristan Jobin · CC_BY_4_0 via GBIF
Silver-backed Needletail
Ian Dugdale · CC_BY_4_0 via GBIF
Silver-backed Needletail
CC_BY_4_0 via GBIF

Silver-backed Needletail

Hirundapus cochinchinensis

灰喉针尾雨燕

IUCN: Least Concern China: Level II Found in China

Distribution & Habitat

This species inhabits Southeast Asia, including the islands of Sumatra and Java, as well as Taiwan. It has been recorded as a vagrant to Christmas Island. Its natural habitat consists of subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

Order
Apodiformes
Family
Apodidae
Genus
Hirundapus
eBird Code
sibnee1

Distribution

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

Data Sources

Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.

Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.