夜鹰目

白喉针尾雨燕 White-throated Needletail
Hirundapus caudacutus

小型夜鹰
体长 19~20 cm

虹膜 /iris

深褐色 /dark brown

嘴 /bill

黑色 /black

脚 /legs and feet

黑褐色 /blackish-brown

目 │ 夜鹰目CAPRIMULGIFORMES 科 │ 雨燕科 Apodidae

野外识别 │ 黑色雨燕，翅狭长，前额、颏及喉白色，背褐色，上具银白色马鞍形斑块。尾下覆羽白色，尾羽末端成针形。

居留及分布 │ 繁殖于亚洲北部、青藏高原、喜马拉雅山脉，冬季南迁至澳大利亚及新西兰。国内分布在东北、华南等地区及西藏、四川、云南、台湾。南岭较少见，见于乳阳。

生境及习性 │ 常成群在森林上空飞翔，尤其是开阔的林中河谷地带。快速飞越森林及山脊，有时低飞于水上取食。主要以双翅目、蚂蚁、鞘翅目等飞行性昆虫为食。营巢于悬岩石缝和树洞中。繁殖期 5—7 月。每窝产卵 2~6 枚，卵白色。

Field identification │ A chunky, very fast-flying swift with a protruding head, rather triangular wings which are pinched in at the body, and a short, broad tail tipped by narrow spines (usually only visible on photographs). The wings and tail are blackish and the rest of the plumage is mainly dark brown, except for a highly contrasting broad white throat patch, a narrow white band on the lores, a conspicuous white horseshoe-shaped mark on the rear of the underbody, a large pale brown or whitish area on the saddle, and small white patches on the tertials.

Distribution & status │ Breeds disjunctly from the Himalayas to the Tibetan Plateau and from C Siberia east to northeast China, N Korea and Japan. Birds from the eastern part of the range (nominate subspecies) winter south to New Guinea and Australia, with some passing through southeast China on migration. In Nanling, it is an uncommon passage migrant, recorded at Ruyang.

Habitat & habits │ White-throated Needletails occur over a wide variety of open and wooded habitats on migration, including hill forests, farmland and marshes. They feed on flying insects.