Avian commensals in Colonial America: when did Chaetura pelagica become the chimney swift?

Graves, Gary R.

doi:10.3366/anh.2004.31.2.300

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…This comment supports the position of Graves (2004) that the nesting preference of C. pelagica for manmade structures developed relatively soon after European settlement in North America. Callister also noted the species's flight, "in pairs, both at the same time alternately vibrating, their wings with a quick motion & then skimming the air in a parallel motion & chirping without any musical taste or change of note."…”

Section: Descriptions Of Behavioursupporting

confidence: 70%

“…Callister's use of the name chimney swallow for Chaetura pelagica is of interest. According to Graves (2004), the Swedish naturalist Peter Kalm (1761) was the first naturalist to recognize in his common name for the species its association with chimneys. With Forster's translation of En resa til Norra America into English, the name chimney swallow first appeared in print (Forster 1771: 146).…”

Section: Callister's Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“A Dissertation on Swallows” with comments on their migration by the eighteenth-century Maryland naturalist, Henry Callister

Lawler

Rubin

2014

Archives of Natural History

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In 1761, Maryland merchant and amateur naturalist, Henry Callister wrote “A Dissertation on Swallows” in response to five questions posed by a Dr Chandler. His accounts of eight Maryland species include accurate descriptions of behaviour as well as external anatomy. His brief description of the tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) may be one of the earliest accounts of this species. On the disappearance of swallows in winter, a topic of debate in the eighteenth century, Callister cited a number of reasons why he concluded that migration rather than hibernation was the explanation for this phenomenon. He noted differences in the habits of similar species in America and Europe and commented on the use of chimneys for nesting by chimney swifts (Chaetura pelagica), and the fact that some birds incorporated human-made fibres in their nests. These observations led him to conclude that, similar to humans, non-human species are capable of adapting to their environment, an idea remarkably advanced for his time. There is no evidence that Callister's dissertation reached its intended destination which may have been Reverend Dr Samuel Chandler, a Fellow of the Royal Society of London at that time. But this document demonstrates that Henry Callister was an enthusiastic and perceptive observer of nature and that he had the ability to use his observations to develop general concepts and a deeper understanding of the world around him.

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Section: Descriptions Of Behavioursupporting

confidence: 70%

Section: Callister's Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“A Dissertation on Swallows” with comments on their migration by the eighteenth-century Maryland naturalist, Henry Callister

Lawler

Rubin

2014

Archives of Natural History

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“…Prior to European settlement, this species probably was distributed thinly and relied on tree cavities for nesting. Nesting in trees is now rare (Graves 2004) and most nests and roosts are concentrated in urban areas (Cink and Collins 2002). Th is species is weakly territorial (typically one nest per cavity), and population declines may be due to the loss of nest sites as large, open chimneys become scarce.…”

Section: Natural Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiscale habitat suitability index models for priority landbirds in the Central Hardwoods and West Gulf Coastal Plain/Ouachitas Bird Conservation Regions

Tirpak¹,

Jones-Farrand²,

Thompson³

et al. 2009

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Ecoregional conservation planning for priority landbirds requires methods that explicitly link populations to habitat conditions at multiple scales. We developed Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models to assess habitat quality for 40 priority bird species in the Central Hardwoods and West Gulf Coastal Plain/Ouachitas Bird Conservation Regions. The models incorporated both site and landscape environmental variables derived from one of six nationally consistent datasets: ecological subsections from the National Ecological Unit Hierarchy, National Land Cover Dataset, National Elevation Dataset, National Hydrography Dataset, State Soil Geographic Database, and Forest Inventory and Analysis data. We initially defi ned potential habitat for each species from unique landform, landcover, and successional age class combinations. Species-specifi c environmental variables identifi ed from the literature were used to refi ne initial habitat estimates. We verifi ed models by comparing subsection-level HSI scores and Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) abundance via Spearman rank correlation. To validate models, we developed generalized linear models that predicted BBS abundance as a function of HSI score and Bird Conservation Region. We considered models that included a signifi cant (P ≤ 0.100) positive coefficient on the BBS predictor to be valid and useful for conservation planning.

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“…This is crucial from a conservation perspective, due to the limiting nature of roosting chimneys currently available across the landscape and the high risk of their loss due to human disuse. With limited natural roosting sites available in the form of large hollow trees, and a preference for chimneys (Graves, 2004;Steeves et al, 2014), the conservation of chimneys is key to the persistence of this species as they fulfill a vital ecological requirement for swifts by providing an area to rest (Steeves et al, 2014), conserve energy (Du Plessis & Williams, 1994;Lubbe et al, 2018), and receive protection from the environment (Combrink et al, 2017;Walsberg, 1986). With few of these chimneys remaining, the loss of more could result in increased energy expenditure as swifts are forced to move further to find suitable roosting sites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roost sites of chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica) form large‐scale spatial networks

Roux

Nocera

2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Habitat loss is a primary driver of species population declines (Brown & Paxton, 2009;Schmiegelow & Mönkkönen, 2002;Stuart et al., 2004), and many conservation efforts are focused on the identification, restoration, and protection of important habitats or landscape features to combat the impacts of these losses. Despite these efforts, landscapes continue to change, and important wildlife habitats continue to be lost. Not only has space become a limiting factor for some species' survival, but resources for efforts to conserve the habitats that remain are also limited. To use these resources effectively, it is imperative to know which locations or features are most important for maintaining species' populations. This approach can be seen in attempts to conserve areas based on the number of endemic species (

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Avian commensals in Colonial America: when did Chaetura pelagica become the chimney swift?

Cited by 11 publications

References 27 publications

“A Dissertation on Swallows” with comments on their migration by the eighteenth-century Maryland naturalist, Henry Callister

“A Dissertation on Swallows” with comments on their migration by the eighteenth-century Maryland naturalist, Henry Callister

Multiscale habitat suitability index models for priority landbirds in the Central Hardwoods and West Gulf Coastal Plain/Ouachitas Bird Conservation Regions

Roost sites of chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica) form large‐scale spatial networks

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