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Breeding Range. (Fig. 88). Locally common in the Agassiz Lake Plain Region (largely restricted to towns and cities); fairly common locally on the Southern Drift Plain (most numerous in towns in the southeastern portion), on the Northeastern Drift Plain (most numerous in towns in the Devils Lake area and near Stump Lake), and along the Missouri River (in towns along the river extending upstream from Fort Yates in Sioux County to the Montana line); uncommon in the vicinity of Long Lake in Kidder and Burleigh Counties, at Dickinson in Stark County, and at Charlson in McKenzie County.

Breeding Habitat. This wide-ranging inhabitant of the airways is generally found in the vicinity of towns and cities.

Nesting. Numerous records of this species on apparent breeding territories were recorded between the extreme dates of May 12 [1971] in Stutsman County (P. F. Springer) and August 2 [1887] in Pembina County (V. Bailey).

Nests are commonly situated in chimneys of private homes. Records of nesting in chimneys were reported at Grafton (H. V. Williams), at Wahpeton (Jensen 1918), at Devils Lake (Wood 1923), at Argusville and Harwood (Monson 1934), and at Jamestown (RES). Nests situated on the inside walls of abandoned houses and sheds were reported at Minnewaukan in Benson County (Rolfe 1898b), at Grafton in Walsh County (H. V. Williams), and in Grand Forks County (E. Bry).

Formerly, before the arrival of most white settlers in the state, Chimney Swifts were largely restricted to areas of mature timber. In June 1873 at Pembina in Pembina County, Coues (1878) noted that these birds were "habitually flying over the timber of the river bottom, instead of at the fort, and therefore probably still retained their primitive custom of nesting in hollow trees." In July 1879, Abbott (1880) recorded this species at Pembina--"around woodland where they were probably nesting in hollow trees from the entire absence of chimneys in that section of the country. " Vernon Bailey recorded this species at Pembina during July 21-August 2, 1887 with the notation that it was "numerous and nesting in hollow trees." During June 1915, Remington Kellogg found this species nesting in hollow trees along the river at Grafton in Walsh County.

During the breeding seasons of 1970-1972, individuals of this species were observed hovering in the vicinity of a large, dead, hollow tree that was located in the bottomland forest along the Sheyenne River in northwestern Richland County (RES).

Figure 88. Breeding Range of Chimney Swift.

Chimney Swift pair with nestlings. Grand Forks County, June 1948 (photo by Ed Bry).