Note and photographs of a roosting White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus from New South Wales

Eric Vanderduys, Stewart Macdonald, Chris Pavey


Abstract

White-throated Needletails Hirundapus caudacutus are very rarely recorded landing in Australia. Here we report on the circumstances of a roosting White-throated Needletail, from the Pilliga Forest, New South Wales. It was detected while we were undertaking targeted nocturnal fauna surveys. We describe the habitat type and provide photographs of the posture and context of a wild White-throated Needletail roosting. We speculate briefly about a potential failed attempt at predation of the Needletail by a Brown Falcon Falco berigora.

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