Rhaphidura leucopygialis
Silhouette: Aviceda (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The silver-rumped spinetail or silver-rumped needletail (Rhaphidura leucopygialis, sometimes spelled Raphidura leucopygialis) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Research on the silver- Rumped spine tail has utilized facultative heterothermy, or even torpor, as a physiological mechanism to reduce its metabolic rate and conserve energy in its tropical environment. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Tanjung Puting National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 9 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 10 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 11 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-rumped Needletail sighting in Khao Luang National Park on a given day, based on 169 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 62nd most-seen of the 215 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-rumped Needletail in Khao Luang National Park on a given day, against about 10% in September, the lowest month. That is one of Khao Luang National Park's wettest months, with about 310 mm of rain against 65 mm in March.
Between 1 and 4 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silver-rumped Needletail sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Silver-rumped Needletail sightings, Khao Luang National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Sepilok (Malaysia, about 30%).
Same family: Apodidae
The closest relatives of the Silver-rumped Needletail that you can see in Khao Luang National Park (family Apodidae, Swifts) are White-nest Swiftlet (about 50%) and Asian Palm-Swift (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silver-rumped Needletail is recorded against all the birds logged in Khao Luang National Park (169 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
