Chimney Swift vs Gray-headed Flying Fox

Chaetura pelagica compared with Pteropus poliocephalus

Key Differences

• Chimney Swift is Near Threatened while Gray-headed Flying Fox is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chimney Swift	Gray-headed Flying Fox
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Apodidae	Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats)
Genus	Chaetura	Pteropus (Flying Foxes)
Species	Chaetura pelagica	Pteropus poliocephalus

Evolutionary Relationship

Chimney Swift and Gray-headed Flying Fox share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Chimney Swift

NT — Near Threatened

Gray-headed Flying Fox

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chimney Swift	Gray-headed Flying Fox
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chimney Swift

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (Norway, Sweden), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Gray-headed Flying Fox

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Chimney Swift

Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.