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

Brown-backed Needletail

Hirundapus giganteus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Cat Tien National Park
54 Verified records at Cat Tien National Park
February 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% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-backed Needletail sighting in Cat Tien National Park, based on 54 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Cat Tien National Park

Silver-backed Needletail
LC Endemic

Silver-backed Needletail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hirundapus cochinchinensis

5–10% · With luck
White-nest Swiftlet
LC

White-nest Swiftlet

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Aerodramus fuciphagus

60–70% · Likely
Asian Palm-Swift
LC

Asian Palm-Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Cypsiurus balasiensis

20–30% · Possible
Germain's Swiftlet

Germain's Swiftlet

Bird

Aerodramus germani

10–20% · With luck
House Swift
LC Endemic

House Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Apus nipalensis

<5% · Rare
Pacific Swift
LC

Pacific Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus pacificus

<5% · Rare
Crested Treeswift
LC

Crested Treeswift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hemiprocne coronata

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
10–20
Feb
5–10
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
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 Cat Tien National Park?

About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-backed Needletail sighting in Cat Tien National Park, based on 54 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Brown-backed Needletail in Cat Tien National Park?

February has the highest sighting rate for Brown-backed Needletail in Cat Tien National Park in our monthly data.

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