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

Silver-rumped Needletail

Rhaphidura leucopygialis

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
20–30% · Possible
overall probability at Danum Valley Conservation Area
378 Verified records at Danum Valley Conservation Area
September 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 →

20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-rumped Needletail sighting in Danum Valley Conservation Area, based on 378 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Danum Valley Conservation Area

Plume-toed Swiftlet

Plume-toed Swiftlet

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Collocalia affinis

30–40% · Possible
Brown-backed Needletail
LC

Brown-backed Needletail

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hirundapus giganteus

<5% · Rare
House Swift
LC Endemic

House Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Apus nipalensis

<5% · Rare
Pacific Swift
LC

Pacific Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus pacificus

<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
Black-nest Swiftlet
LC

Black-nest Swiftlet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aerodramus maximus

<5% · Rare
Mossy-nest Swiftlet
LC

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

Bird

Aerodramus salangana

Insufficient data
White-throated Needletail
LC

White-throated Needletail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hirundapus caudacutus

Insufficient data
Whiskered Treeswift
LC

Whiskered Treeswift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hemiprocne comata

40–50% · Likely
Gray-rumped Treeswift
LC

Gray-rumped Treeswift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hemiprocne longipennis

10–20% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

30–40
Jan
10–20
Feb
30–40
Mar
30–40
Apr
20–30
May
10–20
Jun
20–30
Jul
20–30
Aug
40–50
Sep
10–20
Oct
10–20
Nov
10–20
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 Danum Valley Conservation Area?

About 27% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-rumped Needletail sighting in Danum Valley Conservation Area, based on 378 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Silver-rumped Needletail in Danum Valley Conservation Area?

September has the highest sighting rate for Silver-rumped Needletail in Danum Valley Conservation Area in our monthly data.

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