White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) is a large swift with a heavy barrel-like body. The bird is entirely black except for a white throat and white under-tail. Its legs are very short; the bird uses it only for clinging to vertical surfaces.
It resembles Alpine Swift in size. The bird gets it name from the spiny end to the tail.
The bird spends most of its time in the air, feeding on insects caught with its beaks. Nest is built in rock crevices of cliffs or in hollow trees.
White-throated Needletail can be sighted in the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, West Bengal.
