Böhm's spinetail, also Bohm's spinetail or Boehm's spinetail,, also known as the bat-like spinetail, is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.
Region
South-central and East Africa
Typical Environment
Böhm's spinetail occurs patchily across dry woodland and savanna zones, especially miombo and mopane woodlands. It favors areas with large, old trees—particularly baobabs—that provide nest and roost cavities. Birds forage over woodland edges, riverine corridors, floodplains, and open clearings, often near water. It is recorded from countries such as Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and adjacent parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. Local abundance increases after rains when aerial insects emerge.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the bat-like spinetail, this small swift spends most of its life on the wing, snapping up insects in fast, erratic flights. It is closely associated with baobab trees, often nesting and roosting in natural cavities. The stiff tail spines help it brace against vertical surfaces inside cavities. Like many swifts, it can drink on the wing and often gathers over water or after rains when insects swarm.
Temperament
highly aerial and active
Flight Pattern
rapid, erratic flight with short glides; bat-like wingbeats
Social Behavior
Frequently forages in small groups, sometimes mixing with other swifts over clearings and rivers. Pairs nest in natural cavities, especially in baobab trunks or large dead trees, and may use the same sites repeatedly. Breeding generally coincides with the rainy season when insect prey peaks. Roosting is communal at favored cavities.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives high, thin twitters and squeaky trills while in flight. Calls accelerate and soften during group foraging over water or after rain, often sounding bat-like and insect-like at a distance.
Plumage
Compact, sooty-brown swift with long, narrow wings and a very short tail ending in stiff spines; underparts slightly paler brown. Silhouette appears bat-like, with scythe-shaped wings and a blunt tail. Throat can look a shade paler, but overall contrast is low.
Diet
An aerial insectivore that takes flying ants and termites (alates), small beetles, flies, and moths. It hawks insects on sustained wingbeats, often circling above tree canopies and open patches. After rains, it exploits emergences of swarming insects and may feed intensively over water bodies. Prey is swallowed in flight using a wide gape.
Preferred Environment
Most often feeds above woodland edges, river courses, floodplains, and open savanna clearings. It also works leeward sides of ridges and above tall trees—especially near baobabs that provide roosts.
