Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderApodiformes (Swifts and Hummingbirds)
- FamilyApodidae (Swifts)
- GenusChaetura (Chaetura Swifts)
- SpeciesChaetura pelagica (Chimney Swift)
The chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica) 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. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Chimney Swift sighting in Darién National Park, based on 68 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Darién National Park
Short-tailed Swift
Chaetura brachyura
Band-rumped Swift
Chaetura spinicaudus
Chapman's Swift
Chaetura chapmani
Vaux's Swift
Chaetura vauxi
Spot-fronted Swift
Cypseloides cherriei
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
Panyptila cayennensis
White-collared Swift
Streptoprocne zonaris
Black Swift
Cypseloides niger
White-chinned Swift
Cypseloides cryptus
Chestnut-collared Swift
Streptoprocne rutila
Pale-bellied Hermit
Phaethornis anthophilus
Blue-chested Hummingbird
Polyerata amabilis
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Chimney Swift in Darién National Park?
About 2% of wildlife watchers report a Chimney Swift sighting in Darién National Park, based on 68 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Chimney Swift in Darién National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Chimney Swift in Darién National Park in our monthly data.