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Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica Vencejo de Chimenea
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Photo: G. Beaton
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Smaller and grayer than the resident Black Swift. Its short tail is not forked. Length: 13-14 cm.; weight: 17-30 g. Audio (M. Oberle). Rapidly flies back and forth chasing insects high in the air. Unlike the Black Swift that is silent away from the nest, the Chimney Swift makes twittering noises as it forages. Breeds in eastern North America. It originally nested in hollow tree trunks, but has switched to chimneys for its nest sites. Its winter range was unknown to science for centuries. In the early 20th Century, Boy Scouts and other volunteers rappelled into thousands of chimneys to band Chimney Swift chicks. Eventually these bands were recovered in the central Andes, establishing western South America as the winter grounds. Accidental in Hispaniola and the Virgin Islands, but may eventually occur in Puerto Rico. TAXONOMY: APODIFORMES; APODIDAE; Chaeturinae |