Woman Crying Over 'Dead Bird' Suddenly Realizes She's Being Tricked

“He was not moving and his eyes were rolled back ..."

The first time Barbara Singer heard them was during band rehearsal. While recording in the downstairs living room of her Maryland home, the chirping sounds of a family of birds rang out of her chimney.

“We thought about actually recording them to put in a song somewhere,” Singer told The Dodo. “They also make a rattling sound, like a percussion instrument.”

Chimney of a house
Barbara Singer

But it wasn’t until a few weeks later that Singer laid eyes on one of the birds — and it wasn’t what she expected.

“My husband called me downstairs and said a bird had gotten in,” Singer said. “I went to capture it to take it outside, and when I picked it up, it became very limp in my hand and didn't move.”

Chimney swift plays dead
Barbara Singer

Singer, who has participated in multiple wild animal rescues in the past, including saving an injured bald eagle, a hawk and owls, figured the little bird had been hurt on his way down the chimney. She brought the bird into the bathroom to look for injuries but couldn’t find anything that explained the bird’s behavior.

“He was not moving and his eyes were rolled back,” Singer said. “I called for my husband as I was very upset thinking the little guy had died.”

Barbara Singer

Singer was gutted. She brought the limp body of the bird outside, praying that the fresh air might help. She was a moment away from performing CPR when something amazing happened.

“I even blew on his face hoping it would revive him,” Singer said. “Then he hopped up and flew. I had never seen any animal play dead before.”

“They are great actors,” she added.

Chimney swift flying through a blue sky
Shutterstock/Matthew Jolley

When a second bird landed in her hearth, she knew it was no coincidence.

"It did the same thing. I knew what he was up to, though, so while he looked apparently dead in my hand, I took a photo of him with my cell phone," Singer said. "A few seconds later, the little bird flew. It was truly amazing."

Singer set about researching the birds, identifying them as chimney swifts. The little birds spend most of their lives in flight, snacking on thousands of mosquitoes, gnats and flies each day. But when they do stop to roost, they’re unable to perch. Chimney swifts nest vertically in hollow trees, chimneys, airshafts and other similar man-made structures. After their breeding season is over, they migrate to South America for the winter months, leaving chimneys empty and fireplaces free to be used in the cold months.

Unfortunately, the chimney swift population is declining as their nesting sites dwindle. However, some people are choosing to become hosts to their noisy bird neighbors and leave their chimneys uncapped or even build special structures for them.

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Singer looks forward to hosting the chimney swift pair again if they choose to return.

"They are certainly welcome to come and nest in there next year," Singer said, "and they will be long gone before the fireplace is in use."

To learn more about chimney swifts and how to help your local bird population, check out the North American Chimney Swift Nest Site Research Project.