Bird name:

Chimney Swift

Chaetura pelagica

Order

APODIFORMES

Family

Swifts (Apodidae)

Code 4

CHSW

Code 6

CHAPEL

ITIS

178001

Breeding Location:

Forests, coniferous, Grassland with scattered trees

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial or solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Fairly common to common

Egg Color:

White, sometimes nest stained

Number of Eggs:

2 - 7

Incubation Days:

19 - 21

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Half saucer of sticks and saliva.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Chimney Swift: Medium-sized swift, uniformly dark brown with slightly paler throat and upper breast. Inconspicuous spines extend past web at tips of tail feathers. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Chimney Swift: Breeds from southeastern Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, central Ontario, southern Quebec, and Nova Scotia south to Gulf coast states. Spends winters in the tropics. Nests and roosts in chimneys and feeds entirely on the wing over forests, open country, and towns.

Breeding and Nesting

Chimney Swift: Two to seven white eggs are laid in a nest made of twigs cemented together with saliva and fastened to inner wall of a chimney or, rarely, in a cave or hollow tree. Incubation ranges from 19 to 21 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Chimney Swift: Feeds on insects; forages in flight, sometimes quite high. Drinks by skimming the water surface in flight.

Vocalization

Chimney Swift: Song consists of loud, chattering twitters.

Similar Species

Chimney Swift: Vaux's Swift is somewhat smaller, with shorter wings, paler rump and throat, and different call.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America