- Chaetura pelagica
Identification
12-15cm (4¾-6 in)
- Grey brown underparts
- Sooty-brown back
- Pale throat, cheeks and chin
- Short tail
Sexes alike
Distribution
Eastern North America, wintering in Amazon Basin of South America (Brazil and Chile).
A rare vagrant to the British Isles.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
A variety, including open areas.
Behaviour
Breeding
They nest in chimneys building a saucer shaped nest from twigs glued together with saliva. The 3-7 white eggs are incubated by the female for 19-20 days. The young fledge a month later.
Diet
They hawk for flying insects.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Chimney Swift. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chimney_Swift
