BirdAnalyst
Species · BCR 22 · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Chimney Swift In Eastern Tallgrass Prairie

All regionsEastern Tallgrass PrairieAerial insectivores

Chimney Swift in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie has collapsed: down 77% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

-77%Since 1968
273Routes In Region
58Years

Notable Signals

long arc declinecomputed index

Chimney Swift has collapsed in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: down 77% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

Forecast

If the recent trend holds, Chimney Swift in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 2.7 (95% range 0.00–5.9). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±24.8%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

-10%Change by 2029
2.7Projected 2029 index
0.00–5.995% range
±24.8%Backtest error
19662029
Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.
YearProjected index95% low95% high
20253.50.296.7
20263.30.106.5
20273.10.006.3
20282.90.006.1
20292.70.005.9

Routes In Eastern Tallgrass Prairie

Routes recording Chimney Swift in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie.
DunlapOHIO771988
TecumsehOHIO701982
ItascaILLINOIS642024
GaryINDIANA601999
HarveysburgOHIO351996
WilmingtonOHIO351996
DesmoinesIOWA331979
Sni MillsMISSOURI331990
BeaucoupILLINOIS312024
WestervilleOHIO301985
GildehouseMISSOURI291989
TroyOHIO281996
St MorganILLINOIS232022
DudleyvilleILLINOIS222024
HamiltonMISSOURI221985
BotkinsOHIO202019
W CarrolltonOHIO202015
West ElktonOHIO182012
PlainfieldINDIANA171999
MuncieINDIANA161997
AndersonINDIANA152024
MaplewoodINDIANA152021
Cedar ValleyIOWA151997
MiddletownINDIANA142024
ConcordILLINOIS132024

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.