Chimney Swifts: The Cause of Chimney Noises in July

As a nuisance animal removal company, we often get called to investigate animal noises in and around fireplaces and chimneys.

Clients who hear noises want to know, “What’s in there? And can you get it out?”

While we remove wayward squirrels on occasion and families of raccoons living in chimneys every Spring, the noises that come from the chimney in July often come as a result of a super interesting bird called a chimney swift.

Chimney Swifts are small birds that have specialized claws which enable them to cling to rock like surfaces. They fly quickly and eat a lot of insects.

Swifts find our chimneys can be cozy places to roost and have young.

That is what brings them onto the radar of people who hear noises in their chimney and want us to investigate.

To see what they look like please watch this video. Ryan shows a chimney swift he fished out of a fireplace.

Apparently the bird was in the chimney and managed to get pas the damper but could not get back out. Ryan pulled the bird out, videoed it, and sent it on its way.

Swift Use Chimneys to Nest

A unique habit of swifts is that they attach their nest to the sides of chimneys. They do this by secreting a substance from under their tongue which acts like a glue.

Here is an example of a chimney swift nest with eggs.

As you can see, it juts out from the chimney liner but seems very stable.

Is having glue-like spit a super power?

Once the eggs hatch, the young are even more noticeable!

In this very short video you can hear some of the noises these baby swifts make.

Swifts and Bats Often Confused

A typical investigation for us starts with a client hearing a high pitched chitterring in the chimney.

This leads many wondering if they have bats living in the chimney.

Bats do create high pitched clicking (click-click-click-click) and can be vocal on roost, especially just before going out for the night. And, maternity colonies with pups this time of year are prone to be more noisy as there is communication between pup and mother.

But, if it is coming from an actual chimney and can be heard often, especially during daylight hours, it is most likely coming from swifts.

Once the swift eggs are hatched, the noises will typically increase. But, the noises won’t last for long. In less than a month, the chicks will be able to fly and leave the nest.

Once they fledge, they’ll join other swifts in doing what they do best; eating insects.

One of the cool things about chimney swifts is that, like bats, they are voracious insect eaters and very positive for our local ecology.

Dealing With Swifts

When we are called to investigate and find chimney swifts present, here is what we tell homeowners:

These are valuable birds because of their insect eating.
Federal Law protects them. It is illegal to kill them or move their nests or otherwise molest them. (You may help them out of a fireplace as Ryan did in the video above.)
The problem won’t last more than a month; try to be patient.
They will not harm the chimney.
You can prevent their future nesting (next year) with a chimney cap

To learn more about swifts, we recommend the following pages.

Cornell Bird Lab Page on Chimney Swifts

Chimney Swift Conservation Association

What Just Zipped Into My Chimney