Swallows & Swifts

Vaux's Swift

Chaetura vauxi

A small, cigar-shaped bird with rapid, flickering wingbeats and a high-pitched chittering call. It spends nearly its entire life on the wing, roosting inside hollow trees and chimneys.

Current regional viewing notes

Over forests and open areas near Hoonah; look for rapid, bat-like flight high above the treetops in the evening.

Dataset note: This legacy field can be specific to Southeast Alaska/Hoonah and is not a complete statewide range statement.

Habitat

Airspace over forests, clearings, and towns; roosts in hollow old-growth trees and chimneys.

Diet

Flying insects and airborne spiders caught in flight.

Natural history note

Vaux's Swifts cannot perch on branches like other birds — their tiny feet are adapted only for clinging to vertical surfaces inside hollow trees and chimneys.