Chimney Swift
Encyclopedia
The Chimney Swift is a small bird (a type of swift
).
The breeding season of Chimney Swifts is from May through July. Their breeding habitat is near towns and cities across eastern North America
. Originally, these birds nested in large hollow trees, but now they mainly nest in man-made structures such as large open chimneys. The nest is made of twigs glued together with saliva
and placed in a shaded location. They will lay three to seven white eggs, which the female will cover at night. The incubation
period is 19-20 days, and the fledgling
s leave the nest after a month. Chimney swifts can nest more than once in a season.
and winter in eastern Peru
; other nesting locations in South America
may exist. They migrate in flocks. This species has occurred as a very rare vagrant to western Europe. The gregarious nature of this species is reflected in that two individuals of this species turned up together on the Isles of Scilly
. Most Chimney Swifts can fly for 1 year without perching.
s. They usually feed in groups, flying closely together and making a high-pitched chipping noise. A vigilant observer can see them entering and exiting chimneys at a high speed, almost as if they were being shot out. Their flight is distinctive: they make rapid angular turns unlike most other birds.
Their population may have increased historically with the introduction of large chimneys as nesting locations. With suitable man-made habitat becoming less common, their numbers are declining in some areas. They were listed as Threatened by COSEWIC
for several years with a likely listing of the species on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act.
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
).
Physical description
In flight, this bird looks like a flying cigar with long slender curved wings. The plumage is a sooty grey-brown; the throat, breast, underwings and rump are paler. They have short tails.Reproduction
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Originally, these birds nested in large hollow trees, but now they mainly nest in man-made structures such as large open chimneys. The nest is made of twigs glued together with saliva
Saliva
Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...
and placed in a shaded location. They will lay three to seven white eggs, which the female will cover at night. The incubation
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
period is 19-20 days, and the fledgling
Fledgling
Fledgling or Fledglings may refer to:* Curtiss Fledgling, a trainer aircraft* Fergie's Fledglings, a group of Manchester United players recruited under the management of Alex Ferguson...
s leave the nest after a month. Chimney swifts can nest more than once in a season.
Behavior
They are long distance migrantsBird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
and winter in eastern Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
; other nesting locations in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
may exist. They migrate in flocks. This species has occurred as a very rare vagrant to western Europe. The gregarious nature of this species is reflected in that two individuals of this species turned up together on the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
. Most Chimney Swifts can fly for 1 year without perching.
Feeding habits
These birds live on the wing, foraging in flight. They eat flying insectInsect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. They usually feed in groups, flying closely together and making a high-pitched chipping noise. A vigilant observer can see them entering and exiting chimneys at a high speed, almost as if they were being shot out. Their flight is distinctive: they make rapid angular turns unlike most other birds.
Their population may have increased historically with the introduction of large chimneys as nesting locations. With suitable man-made habitat becoming less common, their numbers are declining in some areas. They were listed as Threatened by COSEWIC
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada ; French: Le Comité sur la situation des espèces en péril au Canada, is an independent committee of wildlife experts and scientists whose "raison d’être is to identify species at risk" in Canada...
for several years with a likely listing of the species on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act.
External links
- Animal Diversity Web
- Chimney Swift Conservation Project--Driftwood Wildlife Association
- All About Birds--Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
- Chimney Swift--U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Flicker Field Guide Birds of the World Photographs
- IBC Videos
- Chimney Swift Bird Sound
- Ralph W. Dexter research on Chimney Swift