chimney swift

bird

Also known as: American chimney swift, Chaetura pelagica

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Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

The chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica) is a small, sooty-gray bird belonging to the swift family, Apodidae. These agile, fast-flying birds are characterized by their long, narrow wings and compact bodies, typically appearing dull or glossy gray, brown, or black. Chimney swifts are known for their unique nesting habits, often building their nests inside unused chimneys, hollow trees, or rock crevices using a sticky saliva. They are insectivores, capturing prey in mid-air with their wide mouths. This species breeds in eastern North America and migrates to South America for the winter.12

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swift
…the best-known swifts is the chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica), a spine-tailed, uniformly dark gray bird that breeds in eastern North America and winters in South America, nesting in such recesses as chimneys and hollow trees; about 17 other Chaetura species are known worldwide. The common swift (Apus apus), called simply…
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…the best-known swifts is the chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica), a spine-tailed, uniformly dark gray bird that breeds in eastern North America and winters in South America, nesting in such recesses as chimneys and hollow trees; about 17 other Chaetura species are known worldwide. The common swift (Apus apus), called simply…
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apodiform
Size range and diversity of structure
…that includes the familiar American chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica), the central shaft of the tail feathers extend beyond the vanes (the soft, flat, expanded parts of a feather) into pointed spines. In other swifts, with less specialized tail feathers, the tail itself may be square-ended, moderately forked, or deeply forked…
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…that includes the familiar American chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica), the central shaft of the tail feathers extend beyond the vanes (the soft, flat, expanded parts of a feather) into pointed spines. In other swifts, with less specialized tail feathers, the tail itself may be square-ended, moderately forked, or deeply forked…
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