Photo Credit: Charles Grisham
MONTGOMERY-While highly urbanized areas might not be the typical hotspot to see numerous songbirds, it is a perfect location to see one adaptive, acrobatic bird – the chimney swift. Chimney swifts are sooty-gray birds with long wings and are typically compared to a “flying cigar.” Known as one of the most aerial birds of all, they can often be seen high in the sky, twittering, diving, and gliding, scouring for flying insects. Although their family name, Apodidae, means “footless” in Greek, they do in fact have feet, but they are incapable of perching on branches as most songbirds do. Instead, they use their specialized feet, wings, and tails to cling to vertical surfaces.
Historically, Chimney swifts nested and roosted in large, hollow trees, but through an increase in urbanization, much of that original habitat was lost. Despite the circumstances, chimney swifts were not quick to give up! The species adapted and began nesting and roosting in manmade structures, like chimneys. They can now be found in areas abundant with chimneys, often in urbanized areas with older buildings.
Over the next two months, search the sky for these birds, and you might even get to experience what is referred to as a “swiftnado,” where hundreds to thousands of chimney swifts can be seen flying in swirling circles around a chimney just before descending into the chimney for the night.
To learn more about this species, visit Outdoor Alabama watchable wildlife page HERE.
Media Release/Outdoor Alabama
