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 Pico Bonito National Park, based on 8 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Pico Bonito National Park
Vaux's Swift
Chaetura vauxi
White-collared Swift
Streptoprocne zonaris
Chestnut-collared Swift
Streptoprocne rutila
Great Swallow-tailed Swift
Panyptila sanctihieronymi
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Amazilia tzacatl
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
Thalurania colombica
Violet Sabrewing
Campylopterus hemileucurus
Long-billed Hermit
Phaethornis longirostris
White-necked Jacobin
Florisuga mellivora
Stripe-throated Hermit
Phaethornis striigularis
White-bellied Emerald
Chlorestes candida
Purple-crowned Fairy
Heliothryx barroti
📅 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 Pico Bonito National Park?
About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Chimney Swift sighting in Pico Bonito National Park, based on 8 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Chimney Swift in Pico Bonito National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for Chimney Swift in Pico Bonito National Park in our monthly data.