Mottled Spinetail
Mottled SpinetailMottled Spinetail

Mottled Spinetail

Telacanthura ussheri

Silhouette: Aviceda (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Niokolo-Koba National Park
56 Verified sightings at Niokolo-Koba National Park From 2019 to 2026
657 Verified sightings across all 18 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Mottled Spinetail

The mottled spinetail (Telacanthura ussheri) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The mottled spinetail was formally described in 1870 by the English ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe based on a specimen collected near Fort Victoria, Cape Coast, in present-day Ghana, by the British colonial administrator Herbert Taylor Ussher. Ussher would later become Governor of the Gold Coast. Sharpe coined the binomial name Chaetura ussheri where the specific epithet was named after the collector. The mottled spinetail is now placed together with the black spinetail in the genus Telacanthura that was introduced in 1918 by the Australian-born ornithologist Gregory Mathews.

Four subspecies are recognised: T. u. ussheri (Sharpe, 1870) – Senegal and Gambia to Nigeria T. u. sharpei (Neumann, 1908) – Cameroon and Gabon... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Niokolo-Koba National Park

African Palm-Swift
LC

African Palm-Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cypsiurus parvus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Little Swift
LC

Little Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus affinis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Alpine Swift
LC

Alpine Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Tachymarptis melba

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Common Swift
LC

Common Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus apus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Mottled Swift
LC

Mottled Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tachymarptis aequatorialis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~20%
2 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
3 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
4 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
5 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
6 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
7 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
8 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
9 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
10 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
11 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
12 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
13 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
14 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
15 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
16 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
17 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
18 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Mottled Spinetail in Niokolo-Koba National Park?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mottled Spinetail sighting in Niokolo-Koba National Park, based on 56 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Mottled Spinetail in Niokolo-Koba National Park?

September has the highest sighting rate for Mottled Spinetail in Niokolo-Koba National Park in our monthly data.

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