Editing Chimney swift (section)

===Predators and parasites===
[[Mississippi kite]]s, [[peregrine falcon]]s and [[Merlin (bird)|merlin]]s are [[birds of prey|raptors]] that are known to take adult chimney swifts in flight, being among the select few avian hunters fast enough to overtake the appropriately named swift on the wing.<ref name = "Steeves"/> [[Eastern screech-owl]]s have been seen attacking colonies, as have non-avian predators including [[Pantherophis alleghaniensis|eastern rat snake]]s, [[northern raccoon]]s and [[tree squirrel]]s. These are most likely to take nestlings but may take some nesting adults as well.<ref name = "Cink"/><ref>Laskey, A. R. 1946. ''Snake depredation at birds' nests''. Wilson Bull. 58:217-218.</ref> When disturbed by potential predators (including humans) at the colony, adult chimney swifts slap their wings together after arching back and taking flight, making a very loud noise known either as "booming" or "thunder noises". When disturbed, nestlings make a loud, raspy ''raah, raah, raah'' sound. Both sounds seem designed to startle potential predators.<ref>Dexter, R. W. 1946. ''More concerning the thundering and clapping sounds of the Chimney Swift''. Auk 63:439-440.</ref><ref>Fischer, R. B. 1958. The breeding biology of the Chimney Swift, Chaetura pelagica (Linnaeus). N.Y. State Mus. Sci. Serv. Bull. 368:1-139.</ref>

The chimney swift carries a number of internal and external parasites. It is the [[type (biology)|type]] [[host (biology)|host]] for the [[nematode]] species ''Aproctella nuda'',<ref name = "Hamann"/> the [[feather mite]] species ''Euchineustathia tricapitosetosa'',<ref name = "Mite"/> and the [[bird louse|biting lice]] species '' Dennyus dubius'',<ref name = "Ewing"/> and is also known to carry the [[tapeworm]] species ''Pseudochoanotaenia collocaliae''.<ref name = "Manter"/> Its nest is known to host the [[Hemiptera]] species ''[[Cimexopsis nyctali]]'', which is similar to the [[bed bug]] and can (on rare occasions) become a pest species in houses.<ref name = "Boyd"/><ref name = "UM"/>