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Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)

Chaetura pelagica

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Searching Out Mega-Roosts of Chimney Swifts

December 29, 2020 Chimney Swifts have feet so small that they can’t perch. Instead, they cling to the sides of vertical structures. Swifts used to live in the giant trees of old-growth forests, but after these were cleared, they adapted to live in chimneys. Today, that habitat is disappearing, too
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Swifts Roost in Chimneys

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Chimney Swift in flight

Swallow or Swift?

August 23, 2019 At a glance, swallows and swifts, both graceful fliers, look much alike. But swifts — like this Chimney Swift — have longer, slimmer wings and short bodies, enabling them to glide for long periods. Their glides are punctuated by rapid, stiff bursts of wing-beats. Swallows, on the other

Chimney Swift Roost

September 1, 2011 Scores, perhaps hundreds, of Chimney Swifts whirl in a flock, then form a funnel-shaped cloud above a chimney. Now they begin to descend, first one - and finally hundreds - swirling down into the chimney. Each bird drops inside and catches onto the rough interior, where it will hang until

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