Flight vocalizations and displays of Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica): description and possible functions

Abstract

The vocalizations of many songbirds have been well documented and analyzed, but less is known about the vocal behavior of many non-passerines, including swifts. When flying alone and during aerial displays with conspecifics, Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagic) often utter a twitter call consisting of a series of high-frequency chip notes. However, little is known about the possible function(s) of swift flight displays and their twitter call. Our objectives were to record, analyze, and document the aerial behaviors and associated vocalizations of adult Chimney Swifts. We studied in Madison County, Kentucky, where they used abandoned, concrete shelters for roosting and nesting. Camcorders were used to record swift behavior and vocalizations during the 2008 and 2009 breeding seasons (April - September). We examined possible variation in the characteristics of swift vocalizations and the frequency of different aerial behaviors among breeding stages and behavioral contexts. Chimney Swifts engaged in more interactive pair flights during the nest-building/egg-laying stage, when females are likely fertile, and significantly more than during the pre-building and nestling stages, suggesting the possible importance of pair flights in courtship, pair bonding, and mate-guarding. Our results also suggest that V-ing (a raised-wing display) may be important in establishing or maintaining pair bonds because swifts engaged in this behavior more frequently during close chases involving two birds. We separated the typical swift twitter into two bouts: "steady" bouts and "quick" bouts. Mean chip rates were higher for the quick portion of the call, but we found no differences in the use of steady and quick bouts among nesting stages or in different behavioral contexts. Mean chip rates for quick bouts were highest for single birds and lowest for two and three birds, suggesting that twitter calls provide information about a birds location; to help coordinate movements while flying near others (e.g. when foraging and during chases), We were unable to identify individual swifts; such identification would facilitate the investigation of individual variation in call characteristics (e.g. chip rate and steady/quick bout rate) and relationships between and among swifts engaging in different activities and flight displays.