Brown-backed Needletail
A species of Typical needletails Scientific name : Hirundapus giganteus Genus : Typical needletails
Brown-backed Needletail, A species of Typical needletails
Botanical name: Hirundapus giganteus
Genus: Typical needletails
Content
Description
Photo By Wich'yanan (Jay) Limparungpatthanakij 
Description
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 Asia from India east to Indonesia and the Philippines. They build their nests in rock crevices in cliffs, laying 3-5 eggs. The flight is impressively fast, even compared to other swifts. The brown-backed needletail is a very large swift, and at 23 cm is bigger than the Alpine swift and the white-throated needletail. It has a similar build to the latter species, with a heavy barrel-like body. They are dark brown except for a white undertail, which extends on to the flanks. The Hirundapus needletailed swifts get their name from the spiny end to the tail, which is not forked as in the Apus typical swifts. 
Size
25 cm
Feeding Habits
Brown-backed Needletail primarily feeds on Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, and Hymenoptera. This gregarious species forages over forest canopies and water, utilizing swarms above forest fires. They exhibit unique adaptability to feast on insects in flight, often in the company of other needletails.
Habitat
Brown-backed Needletail is typically found in diverse lowland habitats, from primary forests to areas with secondary forest growth. They thrive particularly in regions where bodies of water such as lakes or rivers are present. These birds favor moist deciduous forests and are generally located in broad geographical regions that provide these environmental conditions.
Dite type
Insectivorous
Photo By Wich'yanan (Jay) Limparungpatthanakij 
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Swifts and hummingbirds Family
Swifts Genus
Typical needletails Species
Brown-backed Needletail 
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