Chimney Swift |
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Description
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4 33/4- 5 1/2". Sparrow-sized. Stubby, brownish-gray body (appearing black in flight) with very short tail; long, narrow, curved wings. |
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Voice
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Loud chattering twitters.
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Habitat
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Breeds and roosts in
chimneys; feeds entirely on the wing over forests, open country, and towns.
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Nesting
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4 or 5 white eggs n a nest made of twigs cemented together
with saliva and fastened t6 the inner wall of a chimney or, rarely, in
a cave or hollow tree.
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Other
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Members of this family
are among the fastest fliers in the bird world. Swifts spend all of their
daylight hours on the wing and come to rest only at evening. They feed
exclusively on flying insects. They drink water and bathe by dipping into
the water of a pond or river as they fly over it. Since they never perch,
they gather twigs in flight, snapping them off with their bills as they
pass. Sometimes a twig fails to break and the bird is tossed backward,
only to return again. These swifts gather in communal roosts in air shafts
or large chimneys, often whirling in a huge circle as they funnel down
for the night.
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