Rhaphidura leucopygialis
Silhouette: Aviceda (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% 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 Sepilok on a given day, based on 761 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 36th most-seen of the 242 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and October
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-rumped Needletail in Sepilok on a given day, against about 20% in April and September, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Silver-rumped Needletail sightings, Sepilok has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 30%) and Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 30%).
Same family: Apodidae
The closest relatives of the Silver-rumped Needletail that you can see in Sepilok (family Apodidae, Swifts) are Plume-toed Swiftlet (about 40%), White-nest Swiftlet (about 20%) and Brown-backed Needletail (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 Sepilok (761 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.
