Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Chimney Swift

It’s a time of year all bird rehabilitators know well—Chimney Swift season!

Due to their unique natural history, Chimney Swifts have special needs in rehabilitative care. These birds do not “perch” in the same way as many birds—as you can see in this photo, they perch vertically along a textured surface—often on the insides of hollow logs or, as their name suggests, chimneys!

As an aerial insectivore, these birds eat exclusively “on the wing,” catching their insect prey while flying through the air. Due to this behavior, these birds never eat out of a dish—they must be hand-fed every 30 to 60 minutes as nestlings to every two hours as older juveniles, even when they’re in outdoor enclosures!

Most of the calls we take about these birds come when their stick-and-saliva nests break off from the inside of the chimney and the babies fall to the fireplace.

Thankfully, our first batch of Chimney Swift nestlings (pictured) came in healthy and alert, and with the help of a very accommodating homeowner, they were successfully renested back into their original chimney so that their parents could continue caring for them.

Renesting is a bit different in these species compared to most other birds we treat.

A makeshift nest (we recommend a small, wicker-style basket) must be placed on the smoke shelf, above the damper, or lowered down into the chimney from the top with the rope secured externally. The nest can also be secured to a stick or broom handle and wedged up the chimney.

Once these guys start to grow feathers and open their eyes, reuniting can be as simple as placing the baby over the smoke shelf – they are amazing climbers and can get themselves back up to the nest!

There is a high success rate in renesting these babies when these techniques are used!

Use this excellent renesting diagram from our friends at the Wildlife Center of Virginia to better visualize these techniques.

If you cannot stand the sound of Chimney Swifts (they are quite loud!), consider capping your chimney once the fireplace is out of use in late winter/early spring.

These birds are in decline and need many of these roosting sites—populations have been in decline over the last 50+ years by an estimated 67%. if you have a brick/masonry chimney and don’t mind these residents, consider leaving it uncapped and cleaning your chimney regularly in early spring so that they have a good surface to build upon.

If you don’t have a chimney (or prefer to keep your chimney capped) but want to help this species, consider building a nesting tower.

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