Migratory Roosts

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Goal: To further the conservation of swifts by learning more about their ecology during migration.

Objectives:

1) To investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of swift migration.

Relatively little is currently known about the pattern of swift migration throughout the western hemisphere. It is generally believed that swift populations withdraw from the northern latitudes as decreasing temperatures reduce prey availability. However, the specific timing of these movements is poorly refined. This is particularly true in lower latitudes where the relationship between temperature and migration is less clear. One of the objectives of SwiftWatch is to track the pattern of migratory swifts over large geographic areas.

2) To identify important stopover areas for swifts.

Swifts migrate over very long distances and are physically incapable of carrying enough energy to cover this distance with a single nonstop flight. Because of this, swifts must stop en route to replenish energy reserves. The distribution and characteristics of areas used for stopovers is not known. One of the objectives of SwiftWatch is to gather information about the location of important stopover areas.

3) To identify important migratory roosts for swifts.

Throughout the year, swifts require predator-free structures to use as nocturnal roosts. These structures appear to be particularly important during migration when large numbers of individuals congregate within communal roosts. Although many such structures are known within local areas, no effort has been made to compile a registry of roost sites across the species migratory route. One of the objectives of SwiftWatch is to build a catalog of roost structures that could be used for conservation purposes. 4) To develop guidelines for the protection of migratory roosts for swifts.

Many historic roost sites are lost annually as structures are demolished or made inaccessible to swifts. Likewise, accounts of thousands of migratory swifts being killed when chimneys are activated when in use suggest that the development of guidelines may be beneficial. One of the objectives of SwiftWatch is to develop recommendations on how best to manage structures known to be important roost sites for migratory swifts.