White-Throated Needletail
Hirundapus caudacutus
Family Apodidae
Vulnerable — AUS: Vulnerable, ACT: Vulnerable, NSW: Vulnerable, QLD: Vulnerable, VIC: Vulnerable, WA: Migratory, CAMBA: Listed, JAMBA: Listed, ROKAMBA: Listed
About
The white-throated needletail, also known as the needle-tailed swift or spine-tailed swift, is a large swift in the genus Hirundapus. It is reputed to reach speeds of up to 170 km/h (110 mph) in horizontal flight, but this is unverified because the methods used to measure its speed have not been published. 75 km/h (47 mph) is more likely, but this is still at least 100 times the bird's length per second.
How to spot it
Real occurrence confirmed near Mt Coot-tha Reserve / D'Aguilar National Park (Atlas of Living Australia, 1989) — no separate physical description was available on Wikipedia for this species, see the source link for more.
Documented on these trails
Found in
- Mt Coot-tha Reserve / D'Aguilar National Park — South East Queensland hikes