Chimney Swift
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Apodiformes Family: Apodidae Genus: Chaetura
Species: Chaetura pelagica
The Chimney Swift has very short tail feathers and long, slender wings. It is easily identified by its silhouette, as well as its loud, chattering call. When it lands, it cannot perch like most birds do, and must instead cling vertically to trees or man-made walls such as chimneys. This bird once nested in hollow trees, but now it mostly builds its nests in man-made structures. Now the species is in rapid decline due to habitat loss, as well as the scarcity of chimneys as of late. The Chimney Swift’s nests are made with glue-like saliva from a gland under its tongue, and twigs that the Chimney Swift must break off of trees while in flight. This species usually mates for life and occasionally roosts communally. The Chimney Swift is one of the most aerial birds, and it never stops flying except to sleep or nest. They even bathe in flight by smacking their bodies against water and bouncing back into the air. Being a very fast bird (as the name implies), the Chimney Swift’s main predators are raptors, since hawks, kites, and eagles are fast enough to catch a Swift on the wing.
Conservation status: Vulnerable
Description: Greyish-brown above with a pale grey underbelly; long pointed wings and squared tail; small beak
Length: 5-6 inches
Wingspan: 13 inches
Diet: Flying insects such as flies, ants, wasps, bees, aphids, scale insects, stoneflies, whiteflies, and mayflies
Habitat: Nests in chimneys; usually only seen in flight
Season: Spring-Fall
Credit source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
