Purple Needletail

The purple needletail (Hirundapus celebensis), or hagibas in Tagalog, is arguably the largest swift in the world . It is native to the Philippine archipelago and the Minahasa Peninsula (Sulawesi). == Description == This bird is a huge swift, measuring on average about 25 cm (9.8 in) long and weighing from 170 to 203 g (6.0 to 7.2 oz), with an average of 180 g (6.3 oz) in one study of 22 unsexed adult birds. The wingspan can range up to 60 cm (24 in), with a wing chord length of 20.3 to 23.4 cm (8.0 to 9.2 in). Only the related brown-backed needletail of Southeast Asia and the white-naped swift of Central America rival this species for size and wingspan, with the latter averaging 5 g (0.18 oz) less than this needletail in weight. The overall plumage is mostly uniform blackish, with a whitish loral marking. This species has the large size, white horseshoe-shaped underside-marking, and the subtly-needled tail typical of the needletails. Compared to other needletails, it is extremely dark and lacks the pale throat patch of white-throated needletail and silver-backed needletail. Purple needletail has white-lores, like the nominate form of white-throated needletail and brown-backed needletail, but has…