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Chimney Swift Conservation Project

Audubon Minnesota helps chimney swifts by partnering with parks, nature centers, schools, corporations, individuals and others to construct chimney swift towers and to educate citizens about what they can to do help this species whose populations are rapidly declining.

Audubon Minnesota has initiated the Chimney Swift Conservation Project as part of its Audubon at Home program. Since this species has come to rely on the insides of chimneys as their primary nesting and roosting sites, having artificial chimneys and towers will help conserve this species. As part of this Project, we are working with multiple partners to construct chimney swift towers in Minnesota. These towers have three purposes for helping chimney swifts: 1) educating the public about these birds, 2) serve as models to showcase and, 3) teach others how to erect similar structures in their neighborhoods, parks and other public places.

Chimney Swift Facts

• Audubon’s analysis documents a 48% decrease in chimney swifts in just the last four decades
• Small, agile, fast-flying bird that is readily identified by its characteristic “flying cigar” profile
• Breeds across much of eastern North America
• Historically nested and roosted in hollow trees
• Readily adapted to the insides of masonry chimneys
• Winters in the Amazon Basin

What Audubon Minnesota Will Do

Through the Minnesota Audubon at Home Program we have initiated this project to engage the people of Minnesota in a tangible, easy-to-accomplish project that can make a difference to the chimney swift populations and create greater citizen awareness about bird conservation. These swifts can be helped by making chimneys accessible for the birds or by building specially designed nesting/roosting towers

Audubon will recruit and train partners to build chimney swift towers on their properties. In addition, we will work to provide public awareness about this species through the production of a brochure, presentations, articles, and our web site to empower citizens to help.

What You Can Do To Help

• Build a tower at your home, your school, or your work place.
• Donate to Audubon Minnesota to fund the building of chimney swift towers in Minnesota.
• Allow swifts to nest in uncapped chimneys and avoid sweeping the chimney when the swifts are nesting or roosting.

For more information, contact the Minnesota Audubon At Home Coordinator Minnesota Audubon At Home Coordinator.