Mottled Spinetail
Mottled SpinetailMottled Spinetail

Mottled Spinetail

Telacanthura ussheri

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
5–10% · With luck
overall probability at Tsavo East National Park
119 Verified records at Tsavo East National Park
July Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The mottled spinetail (Telacanthura ussheri) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Wikipedia →

5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Mottled Spinetail sighting in Tsavo East National Park, based on 119 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Tsavo East National Park

African Palm-Swift
LC

African Palm-Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cypsiurus parvus

30–40% · Possible
Little Swift
LC

Little Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus affinis

30–40% · Possible
White-rumped Swift
LC

White-rumped Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus caffer

5–10% · With luck
Bat-like Spinetail
LC

Bat-like Spinetail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Neafrapus boehmi

<5% · Rare
Mottled Swift
LC

Mottled Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tachymarptis aequatorialis

<5% · Rare
Common Swift
LC

Common Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus apus

<5% · Rare
African Swift
LC

African Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus barbatus

<5% · Rare
Alpine Swift
LC

Alpine Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Tachymarptis melba

<5% · Rare
Forbes-Watson's Swift
LC

Forbes-Watson's Swift

Bird

Apus berliozi

<5% · Rare
Nyanza Swift
LC

Nyanza Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus niansae

Insufficient data
Horus Swift
LC

Horus Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus horus

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
5–10
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
5–10
May
<5
Jun
10–20
Jul
<5
Aug
5–10
Sep
5–10
Oct
5–10
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙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 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
10–20%
2 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
10–20%
3 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
10–20%
4 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
10–20%
5 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
5–10%
6 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
7 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
8 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
9 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
10 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
11 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
12 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
13 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
14 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
15 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
16 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
17 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
18 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Mottled Spinetail in Tsavo East National Park?

About 6% of wildlife watchers report a Mottled Spinetail sighting in Tsavo East National Park, based on 119 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Mottled Spinetail in Tsavo East National Park?

July has the highest sighting rate for Mottled Spinetail in Tsavo East National Park in our monthly data.

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