MARCH LCAS PROGRAM

MARCH LCAS PROGRAM

Chimney Swifts in Montana

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 – Program begins 7:00PM

Montana Wild, 2668 Broadwater Ave.

Free – All Are Welcome

Chimney Swifts are aerial insectivores and a Species of Greatest Inventory Need (SGIN) in Montana. Historically, they inhabited hollow mature trees and cave walls. With European settlement beginning in the 1600’s, they shifted predominantly to man-made structures, expanding their range west with the growing availability of suitable nesting habitat, aka chimneys. Prior to 2017, the Montana Natural Heritage Program database contained just 23 breeding records for chimney swifts in eastern Montana. To fill this information gap Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the Montana Audubon Society developed a survey protocol to determine their breeding range and create a baseline for occupied towns in Montana. Between 2017 and 2024, FWP, MT Audubon, and citizen scientists surveyed 67 towns across central and eastern Montana. Survey results reveal a much broader distribution of chimney swifts in Montana then previously recognized. Currently, FWP is using these data to help identify potential threats and conservation actions for chimney swifts to help maintain a robust population in Montana.

Our speaker, Kristina Smucker, is the Nongame Wildlife Bureau Chief at FWP. She leads an all-star team of wildlife biologists that manage and conserve over 500 nongame species in Montana. Prior to that she worked at the Avian Science Center at the University of Montana for 10 years where she directed bird research and monitoring programs. She obtained her MS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana and her BA in Biology from Earlham College in Indiana where she took Ornithology and fell in love with birds during spring migration.