Chimney swift
Chaetura pelagica
The chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica) is a bird belonging to the swift family Apodidae.
About the Chimney swift
The chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica) is a bird belonging to the swift family Apodidae. A member of the genus Chaetura, it is closely related to both Vaux's swift and Chapman's swift; in the past, the three were sometimes considered to be conspecific. It has no subspecies. The chimney swift is a medium-sized, sooty gray bird with very long, slender wings and very short legs. Like all swifts, it is incapable of perching on flat surfaces, and can only perch on vertical surfaces. Many fly around all day and only come down at night when roosting. The chimney swift feeds primarily on flying insects, but also on airborne spiders. It generally mates for life. It builds a bracket nest of twigs and saliva stuck to a vertical surface, which is almost always a human-built structure, typically a chimn
Fun Facts About Chimney swift
- The average chimney swift lives 4.6 years.
- The altricial young hatch after 19 days and fledge a month later.
- It builds a bracket nest of twigs and saliva stuck to a vertical surface, which is almost always a human-built structure, typically a chimney; historically (before European colonists built chimneys), they nested in hollow trees (including old pileated woodpecker nest holes), a few still do so, though only rarely.
- Many fly around all day and only come down at night when roosting.
- Like all swifts, it is incapable of perching on flat surfaces, and can only perch on vertical surfaces.
Conservation Status
The Chimney swift is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. This species faces threats that could impact its population if conservation measures are not maintained.
Taxonomy & Classification
| Order | Apodiformes |
| Family | Apodidae |
| Genus | Chaetura |
| Species | Chaetura pelagica |
Range & Habitat
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Other species in the Apodidae family: