Chimney Swift: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Small but Mighty Flyers · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. A chimney swift glues its twig nest together with its own saliva, usually inside a human-built chimney.
2. Its wingbeats look erratic, but a chimney swift beats both wings together in perfect unison on every stroke.
3. Where chimney swifts spent winter was a mystery until 1944, when leg bands worn as a necklace by a man in Peru solved it.
4. Chimney swifts drink on the wing, skimming water with their beaks. They even bathe in mid-air, smacking their breast on the surface.
5. Each of a chimney swift's ten tail feathers ends in a sharp shaft that sticks out up to 1.3 cm, to brace it against chimney walls.

The quiz

1. What does a chimney swift use to glue its nest of twigs?

• Mud
• Tree sap
• Spider silk
• Its own saliva (correct)

The twigs are glued together with its own saliva.

2. How does a chimney swift beat its wings?

• Both together, in perfect unison (correct)
• One at a time
• Left wing first
• Only the right wing

It beats both wings together in perfect unison on every stroke.

3. In which country were the 1944 leg bands found that revealed where chimney swifts spend the winter?

• Mexico
• Canada
• Peru (correct)
• Australia

Bands from North American swifts turned up in Peru, worn as a necklace.

4. How do chimney swifts bathe?

• In puddles on the ground
• In mid-air, smacking their breast on the water (correct)
• By diving underwater
• In dust baths

They bathe in mid-air, briefly smacking their breast against the water surface.

5. How many tail feathers does a chimney swift have, each ending in a sharp shaft?

• Two
• Six
• Twenty
• Ten (correct)

Each of its ten tail feathers ends in a sharp shaft.

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