The Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) is a small swft and in flight, looks like a flying cigar with long slender curved wings. The plumage is a sooty grey-brown; the throat, breast, underwings and rump are paler. They have short tails.

The breeding season of Chimney Swifts is from May through July. Their breeding habitat is near towns and cities across eastern North America. Originally, these birds nested in large hollow trees, but now they mainly nest in man-made structures such as large open chimneys. The nest is made of twigs glued together with saliva and placed in a shaded location. They will lay three to seven white eggs, which the female will cover at night. The incubation period is 19-20 days, and the fledglings leave the nest after a month. Chimney swifts can nest more than once in a season.

They are long distance migrants and winter in eastern Peru. There may be other nesting locations in South America. They migrate in flocks. This species has occurred as a very rare vagrant to western Europe. The gregarious nature of this species is reflected in that two individuals of this species turned up together on the Isles of Scilly.