White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus)
Description
- The White-throated Needletail is a large bird with long wings and a short tail with needle-like feathers.
- Its feathers are mostly grey-brown with a green gloss, with patches of white on the throat and undertail.
- It grows up to 20 cm long and weighs up to 115-120 g.
- It eats flying insects and drinks while flying.
- It breeds in northeast Asia from May to early June.
- It has a generation length of 8.5 years.
Find out more about the White-throated Needletail on Canberra NatureMapr.
Where to find them
The White-throated Needletail migrates to eastern Australia in late spring. It returns to the Northern Hemisphere in early autumn to breed.
In Australia, it’s found in coastal areas of Queensland, NSW, and the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. It also travels to Victoria, Tasmania and south-eastern South Australia.
It usually roosts in tree canopies with dense leaves or in hollows. There aren’t any known roosting sites for the species in the ACT.
Conservation threats
It’s not likely to observe threats to the White-throated Needletail in the ACT. Threats to the species in other areas include:
- crashing into wind turbines, overhead wires, windows, and lighthouses
- insecticides that reduce their food supply or cause secondary poisoning
- loss of its habitat, which means fewer places to roost and possibly less food
- logging and hunting in the areas where it breeds in the Northern Hemisphere.
Conservation status
- National – Vulnerable (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
- Australian Capital Territory – Vulnerable (Nature Conservation Act 2014).
Conservation actions
The ACT isn’t a key breeding site for the White-throated Needletail as it’s a migratory bird. There are no specific management actions for the species in the ACT.