The sooty-gray Chimney Swift is best identified by its sleek silhouette, often compared to a "flying cigar." Twittering, gliding, and diving, often high in skies above cities and towns, Chimney Swifts are among the most aerial of all birds. Like another famous group of fliers — the hummingbirds — swifts have long wingtip bones that give them added maneuverability in flight. 

The family name, Apodidae, means "footless" in Greek. While Chimney Swifts (and the world’s 100 or so other swift species) do in fact have feet, they’re useful only for clinging to vertical surfaces. These birds eat, drink, mate, and even sleep on the wing.

A symbol of summertime across the eastern United States and into southeastern Canada, Chimney Swifts are most common in areas with an abundance of suitable chimneys for nesting and roosting. But even in those areas, swifts are becoming more scarce. Widespread pesticide use is a major culprit, since swifts and other aerial-insect-eating birds — including Purple Martin and Common Nighthawk — require healthy populations of flying insects to survive. 

Find out how you can help Chimney Swifts here >>