Chaetura pelagica
The Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) is a small, enigmatic aerial insectivore renowned for its distinctive cigar-shaped body and long, scythe-like wings that create an impression of perpetual motion. Measuring approximately 12-14 cm (4.7-5.5 inches) in length with a wingspan of 27-30 cm (10.6-11.8 inches) and weighing a mere 17-30 grams (0.6-1.1 oz), its sooty gray-brown plumage with a slightly paler throat and breast makes it a challenging bird to spot against a cloudy sky. A key identifica...
Primarily found in urban, suburban, and agricultural landscapes with abundant human structures, Chimney Swifts also utilize mature open forests with tall, hollow trees. They are generally found at low to moderate elevations.
Exclusively aerial insectivores, Chimney Swifts primarily consume a wide array of flying insects including flies, beetles, mosquitoes, true bugs, moths, ants, and wasps, all captured effortlessly mid-flight.
Chimney Swifts are almost exclusively aerial during daylight hours, exhibiting tireless, erratic flight as they forage for insects. Their nights are spent roosting communally, often in large aggregations numbering in the thousands, inside tall, dark structures such as industrial smokestacks or wi...
The Chimney Swift has a broad distribution across the Americas. Its breeding range encompasses eastern North America, stretching from southern Canada (e.g., Nova Scotia, southern Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba) southward through the eastern United States, reaching the Gulf Coast states and northern Fl...
Near Threatened
- Chimney Swifts cannot perch on branches like most birds; their tiny feet are designed for clinging vertically to rough surfaces such as chimney walls or tree trunks. - They build their nests by breaking off small twigs with their feet while in continuous flight, then cementing them to a vertica...