Chimney swift
Scientific name: Chaetura pelagica (Linnaeus, 1758)
Overview
The chimney swift is a bird belonging to the swift family Apodidae. A member of the genus Chaetura, it is closely related to both Vaux's swift and Chapman's swift; in the past, the three were sometimes considered to be conspecific. It has no subspecies. The chimney swift is a medium-sized, sooty gray bird with very long, slender wings and very short legs. Like all swifts, it is incapable of perching on flat surfaces, and can only perch on vertical surfaces. Many fly around all day and only come down at night when roosting.
From the Wikipedia article “Chimney swift”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Adult weight | 23.6 g |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Middle America; North America; South America.
Common names
Names in other languages (9)
- Arabic
- سمامة المداخن
- Chinese
- 烟囱雨燕
- French
- martinet ramoneur
- German
- Schornsteinsegler
- Japanese
- エントツアマツバメ
- Persian
- بادخورک دودکش
- Portuguese
- andorinhão-de-rabo-espinhoso, andorinhão-pelágico, andorinhão-peregrino
- Russian
- Дымчатый иглохвост
- Spanish
- Vencejo de chimenea
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q912863, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Chimney swift”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Adam Jackson, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — America_Federal_Provincial_y_Departamental.PNG: Yo mismo derivative work: Presidentman, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026