Purple Needletail Hirundapus celebensis Scientific name definitions

An apparently scarce bird throughout its range, the Purple Needletail is arguably the most beautiful of the Hirundapus. It is also the most poorly known, with virtually nothing known about its diet, breeding biology and even vocalizations. In addition to the Philippines, where it is widely recorded, except from Palawan (which is occupied by Brown-backed Needletail Hirundapus giganteus), Purple Needletail also occurs on Sulawesi, where it is apparently confined to the northern peninsula. Like other needletails, this is a large, powerful-looking and broad-winged swift, with a rather protruding head and bulky rear body, and rectrix spines that project from the tail tip; however, its largely black body is glossed purple, and there are no pale markings on the head or upperparts, leaving the Hirundapus trademark white ‘horseshoe’ marking on the posterior underparts as the only standout feature.

Very large swift with long, broad wings pinched in sharply at body, protruding head and bulky rear body; short tail with rectrix spines up to 4.5 mm beyond web in central tail; black plumage with purple gloss, uniform across body, except white supraloral patch and white horseshoe mark on rear flanks and undertail-coverts.

Could only be confused with other needletails (Hirundapus spp.), but only White-throated Needletail (H. caudacutus), on passage, and perhaps Silver-backed Needletail (H. cochinchinensis), are likely to ever occur within the same range. All share the white horseshoe patch on the posterior underparts. However, the present species is darker both above and below than these other species, and is particularly glossy. It also lacks any semblance of a pale throat patch, or a pale saddle on the mantle and back, and these features should ensure, at least with reasonable views, that Purple Needletail is easily identified. Compared to White-throated Needletail, this species also lacks white outer webs to the tertials, but if this difference is visible, views should be sufficiently exceptional that the identification has already been made.

Juvenile

Differs from adult only in having a dull brown supraloral patch and dull brown fringes to the greater underwing-coverts.

Adult

Upper head uniform blackish, relieved only by pure white loral spot in front of black eye patch, and has blue-black gloss that is probably lost with wear, when paler feather bases may become visible. Rest of upperparts blackish, also glossed blue black, and tail is black with bluish gloss; the central rectrix spines project up to 4.5 mm, whereas those on the outermost feathers are shorter. The black remiges are slightly glossed (especially on outer webs), and paler on the inner webs (but not reaching as far as the tips). All of the wing-coverts are blackish too, somtimes appearing darker, and more obviously glossed, than the flight feathers. On the underside, the remiges are paler and uniform with the greater coverts (which have white fringes), whereas the median and lesser coverts, and axillaries, are blacker. The throat patch is slightly browner than the upper part of the head, but offers scarcely any contrast with the remainder of the underparts, which are black-brown (distinctly glossed blue-black in fresh plumage), from the breast to upper flanks and vent, with clear white lower flanks and undertail-coverts forming the typical Hirundapus horseshore patch. Sexes similar.

No information.

Linear Measurements

Overall length 24–25 cm.

Linear measurements (in mm with sample sizes and means in parentheses, unless otherwise stated from Chantler and Driessens 1 Chantler, P. and Driessens, G. (2000). Swifts. A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ):

Mass

170–203 g (3 Morse, R.A. and Laigo, M. (1969). The Philippine Spine-tailed Swift Chaetura dubia McGregor as a honey-bee predator. Philippine Entomol. 1:138–143. Close ).

Closely related to Brown-backed Needletail (Hirundapus giganteus), with which previously considered conspecific (4 Peters, J. L. (1940). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 4. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, USA. Close ).

Some authors (4 Peters, J. L. (1940). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 4. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, USA. Close ) divide population into races celebensis (Sulawesi) and dubius (Philippines), and other commentators (5 Salomonsen, F. (1953). Miscellaneous notes on Philippine birds. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra Dansk Naturhistorisk Forening i København 115:205–281. Close ) have recognized a further Philippine race, manobo (Mindanao, Basilan, Negros); all variation appears, however, to be mensural and age-related (6 Collins, C.T. and Brooke, R.K. (1976). A review of the swifts of the genus Hirundapus (Aves: Apodidae). Contrib. Sci. Los Angeles Co. Mus. 282:1–22. Close , 7 Mees, G.F. (1985). Comments on species of the genus Hirundapus (Apodidae). Proc. K. Ned. Akad. Wet. (Ser. C Biol. Med. Sci.) 88:63–73. Close , 8 Dickinson, E. C., R. S. Kennedy, and K. C. Parkes (1991). The Birds of the Philippines. An Annotated Check-list. B.O.U. Check-list 12. British Ornithologists’ Union, Tring, U.K. Close ).

Monotypic.

Philippines (except Palawan) and at least North Sulawesi (perhaps throughout 9 Eaton, J. A., B. van Balen, N. W. Brickle, and F. E. Rheindt (2016). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ), plus Taliabu, in Sula Islands (10 Rheindt, F. E., D. W. Prawiradilaga, Suparno, H. Ashari, and P. R. Wilton (2014). New and significant island records, range extensions and elevational extensions of birds in eastern Sulawesi, its nearby satellites, and Ternate. Treubia 41:61–90. Close ).

Occurs over open country and forests in hills and lowlands. On Sulawesi recorded at 150–2,000 m (11 Andrew, P., and D. A. Holmes (1990). Sulawesi bird report. Kukila 5(1):4–26. Close , 12 Coates, B. J., and K. D. Bishop (1997). A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea: Sulawesi, The Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. Dove Publications, Alderley, Queensland, Australia. Close , 9 Eaton, J. A., B. van Balen, N. W. Brickle, and F. E. Rheindt (2016). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ).

Presumed resident. May be locally nomadic on Sulawesi, and in Philippines recent record from Tablas speculated to have involved birds on post-breeding dispersal or on migration (13 Allen, D. (2006). New records and other observations of birds on the island of Tablas, Romblon province, Philippines. Forktail 22:77–84. Close ).

Recorded taking large numbers of bees from close to hives in Philippines (3 Morse, R.A. and Laigo, M. (1969). The Philippine Spine-tailed Swift Chaetura dubia McGregor as a honey-bee predator. Philippine Entomol. 1:138–143. Close ). Frequently observed in flocks of up to 100 individuals (9 Eaton, J. A., B. van Balen, N. W. Brickle, and F. E. Rheindt (2016). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ).

Nothing known, but has been speculated to breed close to the Taal Volcano, Batangas Province, on Luzon (8 Dickinson, E. C., R. S. Kennedy, and K. C. Parkes (1991). The Birds of the Philippines. An Annotated Check-list. B.O.U. Check-list 12. British Ornithologists’ Union, Tring, U.K. Close ).

No information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Lack of museum specimens suggests scarcity. Large flocks of a species of Hirundapus recorded in central Sulawesi were presumably this species (14 Watling, D. (1983). Ornithological notes from Sulawesi. Emu 83(4):247–261. Close ), which is generally uncommon but locally numerous on Sulawesi (15 Holmes, D. A., and K. Phillipps (1996). The Birds of Sulawesi. Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Oxford, UK. Close , 9 Eaton, J. A., B. van Balen, N. W. Brickle, and F. E. Rheindt (2016). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ). Recently reported from central plateau of Taliabu, in the Sula Islands, off eastern Sulawesi (10 Rheindt, F. E., D. W. Prawiradilaga, Suparno, H. Ashari, and P. R. Wilton (2014). New and significant island records, range extensions and elevational extensions of birds in eastern Sulawesi, its nearby satellites, and Ternate. Treubia 41:61–90. Close ). In Philippines, observations from 1969 indicate heavy human persecution due to species’ propensity for feeding on bees close to hives (3 Morse, R.A. and Laigo, M. (1969). The Philippine Spine-tailed Swift Chaetura dubia McGregor as a honey-bee predator. Philippine Entomol. 1:138–143. Close ), though seen in good numbers on Negros in 1991 (16 Brooks, T. M., T. D. Evans, G. C. L. Dutson, G. Q. A. Anderson, D. C. Asane, R. J. Timmins, and A. G. Toledo (1992). The conservation status of the birds of Negros, Philippines. Bird Conservation International 2(4):273–302. Close ); only recently recorded in Sulu archipelago, on Tawi-Tawi (17 Lambert, F. R. (1993). Some key sites and significant records of birds in the Philippines and Sabah. Bird Conservation International 3(4):281–297. Close ) and Sanga-Sanga (18 Brooks, T. and Dutson, G.C.L. (1997). Twenty-nine new island records of birds from the Philippines. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 117(1):32–37. Close ); and recent record on Tablas speculated to involve post-breeding dispersal or migration (13 Allen, D. (2006). New records and other observations of birds on the island of Tablas, Romblon province, Philippines. Forktail 22:77–84. Close ). Occurs in Lore Lindu and Dumoga-Bone National Parks (Sulawesi) (11 Andrew, P., and D. A. Holmes (1990). Sulawesi bird report. Kukila 5(1):4–26. Close , 19 Rozendaal, F., and R. W. R. J. Dekker (1989). Annotated checklist of the birds of the Dumoga-Bone National Park, North Sulawesi. Kukila 4(3–4):85–109. Close ) and Mount Canlaon National Park (Philippines) (16 Brooks, T. M., T. D. Evans, G. C. L. Dutson, G. Q. A. Anderson, D. C. Asane, R. J. Timmins, and A. G. Toledo (1992). The conservation status of the birds of Negros, Philippines. Bird Conservation International 2(4):273–302. Close ).