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Topic: Chimney Swifts (Read 790 times)

Ray
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Chimney Swifts
« Thread Started on Jan 25, 2008, 4:36pm »

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.

[edit] Reproduction

Chimney Swift at nestThe 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 fledglings leave the nest after a month. Chimney swifts can nest more than once in a season.

[edit] Behavior
They are long distance migrants 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.

[edit] Feeding habits
These birds live on the wing, foraging in flight. They eat flying insects. 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.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Chaetura pelagica
[edit] References
^ BirdLife International (2004). Chaetura pelagica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

[edit] 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
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimney_Swift"

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supersweeper
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Re: Chimney Swifts
« Reply #1 on Jan 25, 2008, 10:50pm »

Dude, that swift video was awesome! Did you see that one fly down the chimney backwards, toward the end? It's amazing how much they fly and sound like bats! Cool tread. You know, one time I was checking a smoke shelf with no gloves and one of those bat-birds pulled all my finger nails off my right hand.

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supersweeper
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Re: Chimney Swifts
« Reply #2 on Jan 27, 2008, 9:50am »

The lost of my finger nails on my right hand is what lead me to embrace the Michael Jackson one glove fashion style.

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supersweeper
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Re: Chimney Swifts
« Reply #3 on Jan 27, 2008, 9:55am »

The most amqzing thing about this chimney swift clip is how technology savory these birds are. It seems that they have managed to, somehow, fashion some sort of mini flash photography on their heads in order to take pictures of their friends in the chimney. Take a look again at the birds flying above the chimney and taking a snap shot.

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