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Bird Identification

Goatsuckers & Swifts

Species Profiles
Chimney Swift
Common Nighthawk
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Chimney Swift

Chaetura pelagica, Length: 5.25" Wingspan: 14"

play song/call of the chimney swift

Chimney swift call provided by Lang Elliot.

Look for:

Look! Up in the sky! It's a flying cigar! That's what the flight shape of the Chimney Swift looks like: a cigar-shaped body with long slender wings. Flying style is rapid flapping, with short glides in between. Adults have pale throats, but overall the Chimney Swift looks sooty gray. In early fall, huge flocks of swifts may gather at a large roost site, swirling above it before dropping in for the night.

Listen for:

As they fly, Chimney Swifts emit a high, sputtering chatter that wavers in pitch.

Remember:

Swifts are faster, more jerky fliers than swallows, and compared to swallows, the Chimney Swift appears stub tailed.

Find it:

Most common in cities, where they use their namesake chimneys and other hollow structures for nesting and roosting. The Chimney Swift is the only eastern swift species.

Wow!

Based on a ratio of body size to wing size, Chimney Swifts have the longest wings of any bird.

Chimney swift song provided courtesy of Lang Elliot, www.musicofnature.org. This profile is an excerpt from The Young Birder's Guide by Bill Thompson, III. Purchase an autographed copy from our nature store, and check out other BWD titles designed to help you identify backyard birds.

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