A commonly seen, and often misidentified, bird species in Forest Park are Chimney Swifts, Chaetura pelagica. Closely resembling swallow species in flight these summer residents are quite different.
Sometimes called “flying cigars” these birds have short stubby bodies and longer pointed swept back wings. Both sexes are uniformly dark brown and are almost black as silhouettes in the sky. They spend most of the day airborne and are rarely seen perching, as they cannot stand upright like other birds. In fact they do everything on the wing; drink, bathe, and of course eat flying insects.
Usually they can be found around the Park’s water feature, Post Dispatch Lake for example, fluttering their wings and banking through the air in large groups during the day. Another key identification is the chatter they make. For an example click on the link below.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/audio/Chimney_Swift.html
Being cavity nesters, they historically raised their young in dead trees and caves. The coming of Europeans to North America and consequently chimney construction in houses, the swifts adapted readily to using man-made structures and increased in population numbers. However, with modern chimney design, most flues are capped and narrow precluding swifts. The park benefits though by having many older houses, especially along Lindell Avenue to the north, that the swifts still nest in. Chimney Swifts have long claws to cling to the inside of chimneys where they erect their nests. Sometimes mistaken for communal nesters, only one chimney will be used by a nesting pair. Though some non-breeding swifts will be permitted to roost overnight in an occupied chimney. During spring and fall migration these birds will sometime roost in the hundreds to thousands communally in these cavities.
Keep these birds in mind next time you are enjoying a walk around Post Dispatch Lake or sitting down at The Boathouse this summer and maybe you will catch a glimpse of these bat-like fliers.
