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Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica Family: Apodidae (Swifts)  |
Description: Gray/brown color, pale throat. They are stubby shaped on both ends. From some angles the chimney swift resembles a flying cigar gliding through the air with extra long pointed wings. They fly with rapid wing beats in arcs. That's where they get the "swift" part of their name. Chimney Swifts rarely perch: they have been reportedly seen spending entire nights in the air. Their tiny clawed feet are even too small to perch on wires. Their family name "Apodidae" means "no feet." They will hold on to vertical surfaces like chimneys and tree trunks. Swifts also have tiny bills - but this doesn't prevent them from carrying enough flying insects to make their mouth sag. Nesting: Their nest is glued with saliva that hardens and cements it to a vertical space in buildings (chimney) and hollow trees. This hardened saliva is the main ingrediant in Asian bird's nest soup. The reason for the decline of the chimney swift population is uncertain. Although some ornithologists believe their decline parallels the decline of open chimneys in North America. Range: (May - September) Summer in north-eastern North America. Winter in Central South Ammerica up to Venezuela.
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