Vaux's (rhymes with foxes) Swift is the smallest regularly occurring swift in North America. The tail is very short, and the wings appear shorter than those of the similar Chimney Swift. The bird is dark gray-brown overall, paler on the throat, breast and rump.

Length: 11 (cm) Wingspan: 29 (cm)

Voice:

Call is a very high rapid twittering.

Habitat:

Mature coniferous and mixed forest. Common in urban areas adjacent to forest habitats. Uses hollow trees and chimneys for nesting and roosting.

Behavior:

Flies with rapid wing-beats. Does not glide often. During fall migration, flocks numbering into the tens of thousands gather nightly at traditional roosts, forming a large vortex and then funneling into massive brick and concrete chimneys that can be found on old schools, churches, and abandoned factories (see Shawneen Finnegan's "Swifts Come Back To School" published in our online journal on 12 April 2009).

Feeding:

Captures insects in flight.