Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 4.3 in
11 cm - Wingspan
- 11 in
28 cm - Weight
- 0.5–0.8 oz
15–22 g
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."
Habitat
Forest
Nests in coniferous or mixed forest. Forages in forest openings, especially above streams.
Food
Insects
Flying insects and some spiders.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–7 eggs
- Egg Description
- White.
- Condition at Hatching
- Naked and helpless.
Nest Description
Half-cup made of small twigs glued to vertical surface with the bird's sticky saliva. Nests communally, usually in hollow trees, less commonly in chimneys.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Aerial Forager
Forages in the air, taking insects in its bill.
Conservation
Least Concern
Declining throughout range. Logging of large-diameter trees in old-growth forest eliminates nest sites.
Credits
- 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.