Vaux's Swift

Vaux's Swift

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A bird of the Pacific Northwest, Vaux's Swift spends almost all of daylight hours in the air foraging for insects. It is very similar to the Chimney Swift, a common species of the eastern United States, in appearance and habits.

Description

• Small bird.
• Dark gray-brown overall.
• Wings long, pointed, and swept back.
• Stiff wing beats.
• Short bill and short, square tail give the body a cigar-like appearance.

• Size: 11 cm (4 in)
• Wingspan: 28 cm (11 in)
• Weight: 15-22 g (0.53-0.78 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Flight call is a high, rapid, insect-like twitter.

Conservation Status

Declining throughout range. Logging of large-diameter trees in old-growth forest eliminates nest sites.

Other Names

Martinet de Vaux (French)
Vencejo de Vaux (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Vaux's Swift is the smallest swift in North America.

• Vaux's Swifts roost communally, by the hundreds or sometimes the thousands, presumably to conserve heat. They let their body temperature drop and become torpid on cold nights, reviving in the warmth of day.

• Vaux's Swifts descend into their roost tree essentially at once, spiraling down in a very dramatic rush at nightfall.

• Vaux's Swift is named for William S. Vaux, a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences and a friend of John K. Townsend, who first described the species. The name is pronounced "vawks," not "voh."

Sources used to construct this page:

Bull, E. L and C. T. Collins. 1993. Vaux's Swift (Chaetura vauxi). In The Birds of North America, No. 77 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists' Union.