Avian commensals in Colonial America: when did Chaetura pelagica become the chimney swift?

Abstract

The clearing of primeval forest in eastern North America by European colonists led to a profound shift in the breeding ecology of the chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica). Historical accounts show that the swift, which nested in hollow trees during the pre-Colonial era, began nesting in chimneys as early as 1672 in New England, indicating that it was among the fi rst native North American birds to nest commensally in European dwellings. Based on historical descriptions of nest sites and on changes in its vernacular name, the swift nested almost exclusively in chimneys on the Atlantic coastal plain by the late eighteenth century. Tree-nesting is now a rare phenomenon and fewer than two dozen instances of such behavior have been reported since 1900.

“A Dissertation on Swallows” with comments on their migration by the eighteenth-century Maryland naturalist, Henry Callister

“…This comment supports the position of Graves (2004) that the nesting preference of C. pelagica for manmade structures developed relatively soon after European settlement in North America. Callister also noted the species's flight, "in pairs, both at the same time alternately vibrating, their wings with a quick motion & then skimming the air in a parallel motion & chirping without any musical taste or change of note."…”

“…Callister's use of the name chimney swallow for Chaetura pelagica is of interest. According to Graves (2004), the Swedish naturalist Peter Kalm (1761) was the first naturalist to recognize in his common name for the species its association with chimneys. With Forster's translation of En resa til Norra America into English, the name chimney swallow first appeared in print (Forster 1771: 146).…”

Multiscale habitat suitability index models for priority landbirds in the Central Hardwoods and West Gulf Coastal Plain/Ouachitas Bird Conservation Regions

“…Prior to European settlement, this species probably was distributed thinly and relied on tree cavities for nesting. Nesting in trees is now rare (Graves 2004) and most nests and roosts are concentrated in urban areas (Cink and Collins 2002). Th is species is weakly territorial (typically one nest per cavity), and population declines may be due to the loss of nest sites as large, open chimneys become scarce.…”

Roost sites of chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica) form large‐scale spatial networks

“…This is crucial from a conservation perspective, due to the limiting nature of roosting chimneys currently available across the landscape and the high risk of their loss due to human disuse. With limited natural roosting sites available in the form of large hollow trees, and a preference for chimneys (Graves, 2004;Steeves et al, 2014), the conservation of chimneys is key to the persistence of this species as they fulfill a vital ecological requirement for swifts by providing an area to rest (Steeves et al, 2014), conserve energy (Du Plessis & Williams, 1994;Lubbe et al, 2018), and receive protection from the environment (Combrink et al, 2017;Walsberg, 1986). With few of these chimneys remaining, the loss of more could result in increased energy expenditure as swifts are forced to move further to find suitable roosting sites.…”