Silver-rumped Spinetail

Silver-rumped Spinetail
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Rhaphidura leucopygialis

Malay Name: Layang-layang Ekor-Pendek Melayu

Chinese Name: 银腰针尾雨燕

Range: Found from the Thai-Malay Peninsula to the Greater Sundas comprising Sumatra, Java and Borneo.

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size: 11 cm

Identification: Smaller than the other migratory Needletail species but still look robust with all blackish underparts, dark bluish gloss upperparts, prominent silvery-white lower back, rump and uppertail-coverts, short square-cut tail, very broad paddle-shaped wings and bare shafts (spines) extending from tail-tip. Juvenile has less glossy underparts.

Similar looking species: White-throated Needletail, Silver-backed Needletail, Brown-backed Needletail

Habitat: Broadleaved evergreen forest and clearings.

Behaviour/Ecology: Roosts in large tree hollows in the emergent canopy.

Local Status: Former resident and very rare visitor

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Silver-rumped Needletail from Taman Negara. Photo credits: See Toh Yew Wai
Silver-rumped Needletail from Taman Negara. Photo credits: See Toh Yew Wai
Silver-rumped Spinetail at Taman Negara. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Silver-rumped Needletail from Taman Negara. Photo credits: Francis Yap
External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Silver-rumped Spinetail)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Rhaphidura leucopygialis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22686661A93120578.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Silver-rumped Spinetail. Retrieved on July 16, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/silver-rumped-spinetail.

To top