chimney swift
noun
: a small sooty-gray swift (Chaetura pelagica) with long narrow wings that often builds its nest inside an unused chimney
called also chimney swallow
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web To help the birds out, conservation groups have built chimneys called chimney swift towers. 
Linda Girardi, chicagotribune.com, 21 Sep. 2021 The chimney swift has a 5-inch-long body and a 12-inch wingspan and weighs less than an ounce. Linda Girardi, chicagotribune.com, 21 Sep. 2021 Observers spotted a chimney swift and a gray catbird in Belmont and an orchard oriole in Needham. BostonGlobe.com, 17 Apr. 2021 While chimney swifts typically fly higher, rainy weather can cause them to forage lower to the ground. Sophie Lewis, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2019 The birds — identified as chimney swifts, which migrate from the United States to South America in the fall — were caught on video flying into the large building, which opened in May 2010. Ashley Boucher, PEOPLE.com, 16 Oct. 2019 The birds, identified as chimney swifts, hit the windows of the NASCAR Hall of Fame building, according to video from CNN affiliate WSOC. Amanda Watts, CNN, 16 Oct. 2019 Swarms of chimney swifts make the rounds, whistling in harmony. David Holahan, courant.com, 13 Sep. 2019 One minute the early evening sky above the Menomonee River Parkway in Wauwatosa was clear except for the darting silhouettes of a half dozen chimney swifts and barn swallows. Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 June 2018 See More
Linda Girardi, chicagotribune.com, 21 Sep. 2021 The chimney swift has a 5-inch-long body and a 12-inch wingspan and weighs less than an ounce. Linda Girardi, chicagotribune.com, 21 Sep. 2021 Observers spotted a chimney swift and a gray catbird in Belmont and an orchard oriole in Needham. BostonGlobe.com, 17 Apr. 2021 While chimney swifts typically fly higher, rainy weather can cause them to forage lower to the ground. Sophie Lewis, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2019 The birds — identified as chimney swifts, which migrate from the United States to South America in the fall — were caught on video flying into the large building, which opened in May 2010. Ashley Boucher, PEOPLE.com, 16 Oct. 2019 The birds, identified as chimney swifts, hit the windows of the NASCAR Hall of Fame building, according to video from CNN affiliate WSOC. Amanda Watts, CNN, 16 Oct. 2019 Swarms of chimney swifts make the rounds, whistling in harmony. David Holahan, courant.com, 13 Sep. 2019 One minute the early evening sky above the Menomonee River Parkway in Wauwatosa was clear except for the darting silhouettes of a half dozen chimney swifts and barn swallows. Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 June 2018 See More Word History
First Known Use
1849, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
chimney swift
noun
: a small dark gray bird with long narrow wings that often builds its nest inside chimneys