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bird identification help wanted

14 years ago

I'm wondering if the birds I see at dusk in Central Indiana are the swallows/swifts I thought they were.

They swoop and flutter a lot, twittering constantly in flight very high in the air. I don't see them land anywhere, but circle around an area over and over, often 3 to half a dozen (or more) at a time, not in formation.

They are too high and the light is too dim to see any coloration; just dark against a fading blue sky. Their shape is what I thought was swallow-like with rather backswept wings and a longish tail. I can't tell if the tail is double sets of feathers extending from the body which is a pretty good indicator of swallows. I think I've seen these birds flying around the exterior lights of very tall buildings, too. They seem too big to be local bats species, though the erratic flight seems a little bat-like.

Can anyone answer this question I've just realized I'm not sure but curious about. THanks.

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Comments (7)

tc1761
14 years ago
Possibly Chimney Swifts?
blue_belle
14 years ago
Could be northern rough winged swallows. They do have a squared-off tail so maybe not.
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bbcathy
14 years ago
How about Common Nighthawks or the Chimney Swifts already mentioned?
Cathy
orrin_h
14 years ago
I was thinking nighthawk too with the reference to building lights. They do have a superficial swift resemblance in shape.

-O-
rachel_frome_ky
14 years ago
Resembles a flying cigar, flutters like a bat, and chitters while it flies=Chimney Swift
dirtgirl
14 years ago
stay with it and try to catch them when the light is strong enough to see by and you might just be rewarded by what can only be described as a bird vortex...when they finally go to roost they will swirl tighter and tighter around the chimney or other suitable spot and one by one drop out of this formation to make their final approach. Unfortunately, if you are in a more heavily urban area with too much light pollution, the street lights coming on right at dusk might make seeing activity above them tough, but keep trying. Its a marvelous thing to watch.

The nightjars are much much larger and have a loud distinctive "BEER!" call, and can be heard cruising above parking lots long into the night.

for a recording of chimney swift twittering and other id tips, copy paste this:

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i4230id.html
feather_z9_ncacoast
14 years ago
Chimney Swifts in the east, Vaux's Swifts in the west.

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