White-Throated Needletail

The white-throated needletail, also called the needle-tailed or spine-tailed swift, is a large swift with a robust, barrel-like body. It is a migratory bird, breeding in Central Asia and southern Siberia and wintering south in the Indian subcontinent, South-east Asia and Australia. Its flight speed is reputed to reach 170km/h, but that is unverified, and about 75km/h is more likely (Wikipedia, general species account).

It builds its nest in rock crevices in cliffs or hollow trees and feeds on small flying insects such as beetles, flies, bees and moths. It is an occasional vagrant to Great Britain (Wikipedia, general species account).