VU
Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - A2acd+3cd+4acd

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2018 Vulnerable A2acd+3cd+4acd
2016 Near Threatened A2c
2012 Near Threatened A2c
2010 Near Threatened A2c
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status full migrant Forest dependency low
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 8,580,000 km2 medium
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 5,380,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 7700000 mature individuals medium estimated 2016
Population trend decreasing medium estimated 1994-2010
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 35% - - -
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 35% - - -
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 35% - - -
Generation length 5.35 years - - -

Population justification: The global population has been estimated at 15,000,000 individuals in total (Rich et al. 2004) and 7,700,000 mature individuals, based on estimates from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (Rosenberg et al. 2016) .

Trend justification: Its association with chimneys may have historically allowed the population to expand. However, recent trends show strong population declines. The Partners in Flight Landbird Conservation Plan (Rosenberg et al. 2016) suggest that between 1970 and 2014 the species underwent a population reduction of 67%. Partners in Flight also gives the species a half-life of 27 years (Rosenberg et al. 2016). Extrapolating the population reduction based on short term data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (Sauer et al. 2017) shows that over the last three generations (16 years), the population has been decreasing with a significant, estimated annual decrease of 2.68% (2.38 to 3.00%) (Sauer et al. 2017). This would equate to a reduction of 35.3% (32.1-38.7%) over three generations


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Anguilla (to UK) extant vagrant yes
Aruba (to Netherlands) extant native
Bahamas extant native
Barbados extant vagrant
Belize extant native yes
Bermuda (to UK) extant native
Brazil extant native yes
Canada extant native yes
Cayman Islands (to UK) extant native
Chile extant native
Colombia extant native
Costa Rica extant native yes
Cuba extant native
Dominican Republic extant native
Ecuador extant native
El Salvador extant native yes
Greenland (to Denmark) extant vagrant
Guatemala extant native
Haiti extant native
Honduras extant native
Jamaica extant vagrant
Mexico extant native
Nicaragua extant native
Panama extant native
Peru extant native
Portugal extant vagrant
Puerto Rico (to USA) extant native
St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) extant native yes
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) extant native
United Kingdom extant vagrant
USA extant native yes
Venezuela extant native
Virgin Islands (to USA) extant vagrant

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Colombia Santuario de Fauna y Flora Los Colorados
Honduras Apaguiz
Honduras Cuero y Salado
Honduras Islas de la Bahía y Cayos Cochinos
Honduras La Tigra
Honduras Pico Bonito
Honduras Sierra de Omoa - Cusuco
Honduras Valle de Aguán
Mexico Centro de Veracruz
Mexico El Triunfo
Mexico Isla Cozumel
Mexico Los Tuxtlas
Mexico Montes Azules
Mexico Sierra Norte de Oaxaca

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Irrigated Land (includes irrigation channels) suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Urban Areas suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Urban Areas suitable breeding
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level suitable non-breeding
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland suitable non-breeding
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland suitable breeding
Forest Temperate suitable non-breeding
Altitude 0 - 3200 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (large scale) [harvest] Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Slow, Significant Declines Medium Impact: 6
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success
Climate change & severe weather Storms & flooding Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Species mortality
Residential & commercial development Housing & urban areas Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Slow, Significant Declines Medium Impact: 6
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/chimney-swift-chaetura-pelagica on 23/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/11/2024.