Bird of the week 2024 | Chimney swift

Chimney swift [MichaelWarren.com]

Chimney swift

These boomerang-like birds begin to appear in late March, announcing themselves with a chittering call as they flit about erratically overhead. They feed, mate and even sleep while flying. They stop so seldom that it was once supposed they had no feet. The feet they do have are suitable for clinging to walls but not perching. Before the arrival of Europeans, chimney swifts nested in hollow trees. Now they nest almost entirely in chimneys and similar manmade structures.