Common Nighthawk
- Aerial Insectivore. Common Nighthawks eat many kinds of flying insects, including mosquitoes, moths, and grasshoppers. ...
- Booming Birds. This species lays its eggs directly on the ground, usually on sand, dirt, gravel, or bare rock. ...
- Fighting for Nighthawks. ...
What do Nighthawks eat in the wild?
Common Nighthawks eat many kinds of flying insects, including mosquitoes, moths, and grasshoppers. Their wide, bristle-lined mouths are adapted to scoop insects from the air, and long tails and long, pointed wings allow for acrobatic maneuvering to pursue prey.
What does a Nighthawk do at night?
Common Nighthawk | Audubon Field Guide This widespread and familiar bird may hunt by day or night, catching flying insects in the air. Its bounding, erratic flight and angular wings make it unmistakable except in the southwest and in Florida, where two other types of nighthawks occur.
What is the natural habitat of a Nighthawk?
Common Nighthawk Life History. Habitat. Common Nighthawks nest in both rural and urban habitats including coastal sand dunes and beaches, logged forest, recently burned forest, woodland clearings, prairies, plains, sagebrush, grasslands, open forests, and rock outcrops.
What does a common nighthawk look like?
The bill of Common nighthawks is small while the mouth and eyes are large. The long tail is notched and brown with buff bands. Across the long feathers, bordering the wings, the bird has wide white stripe, which is visible when flying.
Is a nighthawk a bird of prey?
The common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) is a medium-sized crepuscular or nocturnal bird of the Americas within the nightjar family, whose presence and identity are best revealed by its vocalization....Common nighthawkClass:AvesOrder:CaprimulgiformesFamily:CaprimulgidaeGenus:Chordeiles14 more rows
How does a common nighthawk find food?
Common Nighthawks eat many kinds of flying insects, including mosquitoes, moths, and grasshoppers. Their wide, bristle-lined mouths are adapted to scoop insects from the air, and long tails and long, pointed wings allow for acrobatic maneuvering to pursue prey.
Where does a common nighthawk live?
What kind of habitat do they need? Common nighthawks breed in open habitats such coastal dunes and beaches, woodland clearings, grasslands, savannas, sagebrush plains, and open forests. They will also use human habitats, such as logged or burned areas of forests, farm fields, and cities.
Is the common nighthawk a carnivore?
Common nighthawks are carnivores (insectivores), they feed mainly upon beetles, queen ants, mosquitoes and true bugs. They can also consume insects such as grasshoppers, wasps, moths, flies, mayflies, caddis flies as well as crickets.
Do nighthawks have predators?
Crows and ravens, owls, American kestrels, skunks, snakes, housecats and canids such as coyotes, foxes, and domestic dogs are predators of common nighthawks.
Do hawks fly at night?
Hawks are diurnal, which means they are active throughout the day rather than at night. Therefore, hawks don't hunt at night, though some like to wait until dusk begins to fall before hunting for prey. Because of their exceptionally excellent vision, these birds are mostly seen during the day.
Do nighthawks eat dragonflies?
As flying insects disappear, the birds that depend on them are disappearing, too. We'd had a couple of decent days this season, but I'd been out of town or too busy to enjoy them until August 30. Cedar Waxwing devouring a dragonfly. Nighthawks and many other birds depend on dragonflies and other insects for food.
Do nighthawks sing?
Common Nighthawks give a nasal peent or beer call while flying. When defending a nest, the female gives a hissing or throaty cluck. Courting males give a croaking auk auk auk call.
How many eggs do nighthawk lay?
2 eggsNesting FactsClutch Size:2 eggsNumber of Broods:1-2 broodsEgg Length:1.2 in (3 cm)Egg Width:0.8 in (2.1 cm)Incubation Period:16-20 days3 more rows
Is there a bird that flies like a bat?
The Common Nighthawk's impressive booming sounds during courtship dives, in combination with its erratic, bat-like flight, have earned it the colloquial name of “bullbat.” The name “nighthawk” itself is a bit of a misnomer, since the bird is neither strictly nocturnal—it's active at dawn and dusk—nor closely related to ...
Are nighthawks actually Hawks?
The common nighthawk is not really a hawk. It is actually a member of the nightjar family. The nightjar family includes the whip-poor-will and the common poorwill. The common nighthawk is a jay-sized bird about 10 inches in length.
What are glowing birds called?
Hercinia is a legendary bird with glowing feathers that inhabited the Hercynian Forest of ancient Germany.
Why is the Common Nighthawk endangered?
The major threats to the Common Nighthawk are habitat loss and agricultural development, but the biggest is pesticide use. Large-scale farms use more and more pesticides, killing the insects that make up the Common Nighthawk's diet.
Where do Nighthawks migrate to?
Common nighthawks breed in North America but migrate in the fall up to 10,000 kilometers south to the Amazon and Cerrado biomes of South America.
What does a night hawk look like?
Common Nighthawks are well camouflaged in gray, white, buff, and black. The long, dark wings have a striking white blaze about two-thirds of the way out to the tip. In flight, a V-shaped white throat patch contrasts with the rest of the bird's mottled plumage.
Is a nighthawk a hawk?
The common nighthawk is not really a hawk. It is actually a member of the nightjar family. The nightjar family includes the whip-poor-will and the common poorwill. The common nighthawk is a jay-sized bird about 10 inches in length.
What is a nighthawk?
Common nighthawks are very territorial animals with males, fiercely defending their territory by diving at intruders. These birds are solitary nesters. They are crepuscular animals, feeding at dusk, dawn and at night. The rest of the time they spend sleeping or roosting.
How long do nighthawks lay eggs?
Breeding season lasts from mid-March to the beginning of October. The female usually lays 2 eggs with the interval of 1-2 days, incubating the eggs for 18-20 days. The chicks are semiprecocial, starting to respond to their mother's call within the first day of their lives. In evenings, the female leaves the nesting site to forage. The hatchlings feed upon regurgitated insects. At the age of 16 days they are able to hop while the first flight is at 18 days old. At 25-25 days old, the young can fly well, and by the age of 30 days they leave the nest. The young are fully developed at 45-50 days old, joining flocks of migrating nighthawks.
What do hawks compete for?
These birds control populations of prey species they feed upon. In addition, they compete for food with lesser nighthawks and bats.
Why are nighthawks called mosquito hawks?
This bird is often called the mosquito hawk due to its ability to catch insects on the fly. As a matter of fact, the Common nighthawk is not closely related to hawks.
Is a common nighthawk related to a hawk?
As a matter of fact, the Common nighthawk is not closely related to hawks. According to a common but mistaken belief, the nighthawk visits barns at night, suckling goat's milk. Due to this myth, the Common nighthawk is sometimes called "goatsucker".
What do nighthawks do?
Their wide, bristle-lined mouths are adapted to scoop insects from the air, and long tails and long, pointed wings allow for acrobatic maneuvering to pursue prey. Nighthawks can most often be seen hunting on the wing at dawn and dusk, but they occasionally forage during the day in overcast weather.
Where do nighthawks lay their eggs?
This species lays its eggs directly on the ground, usually on sand, dirt, gravel, or bare rock. In cities, Common Nighthawks often nest on flat gravel roofs. Unfortunately, urban populations of crows increasingly target these city nighthawks, and eat their eggs.
How do nighthawks court females?
A male nighthawk courts a female by circling and hovering high in the air while calling repeatedly; then he plunges into a steep dive. The air passing through the bird's primary wing feathers creates a loud rushing or "booming" sound at bottom of its dive. Male nighthawks also use this display to establish and protect territory.
Why do nighthawks make a loud noise?
The air passing through the bird's primary wing feathers creates a loud rushing or "booming" sound at bottom of its dive. Male nighthawks also use this display to establish and protect territory. The female Common Nighthawk performs all incubation duties, but will leave the nest to feed.
How much has the Nighthawk declined?
Populations of Common Nighthawk have plunged, with a cumulative decline of 61 percent between 1966 and 2014, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The 2014 State of the Birds Report lists Common Nighthawk as a common bird in steep decline.
When do Nighthawks migrate?
Common Nighthawks have one of the longest migration routes of all North American birds, and move early, beginning to travel south in August. They form large flocks during migration; their sharp, electric peent call is often the first sign that they're passing overhead.
What is the threat to Nighthawks?
Threats to this interesting bird include pesticide use and habitat loss. Common Nighthawks are also vulnerable to collisions with cars, since they forage over roads or roost on roadways at night.
What is the common nighthawk?
The common nighthawk shows variability in territory size. This caprimulgid has a large, flattened head with large eyes; facially it lacks rictal bristles. The common nighthawk has long slender wings that at rest extend beyond a notched tail. There is noticeable barring on the sides and abdomen, also white wing-patches.
What is a nighthawk?
The common nighthawk ( Chordeiles minor) is a medium-sized crepuscular or nocturnal bird of the Americas within the nightjar family, whose presence and identity are best revealed by its vocalization. Typically dark (grey, black and brown), displaying cryptic colouration and intricate patterns, this bird is difficult to spot with ...
What bird has white feathers?
The lesser nighthawk is a smaller bird and displays more buffy on the undertail coverts, where the common nighthawk shows white. Common nighthawks and Antillean nighthawks exhibit entirely dark on the basal portion of the primary feathers, whereas lesser nighthawks have bands of buffy spots.
What is the difference between a nighthawk and a caprimulguid?
The common nighthawk is distinguished from other caprimulguids by its forked tail (includes a white bar in males); its long, unbarred, pointed wings with distinctive white patches; its lack of rictal bristles, and the key identifier – their unmistakable calls.
Why is a nighthawk called a bull bat?
The common nighthawk is sometimes called a "bull-bat", due to its perceived "bat-like" flight, and the "bull-like" boom made by its wings as it pulls from a dive.
What is the name of the family of nighthawks?
Within the family Caprimulgidae, the subfamily Chordeilinae (nighthawks) are limited to the New World and are distinguished from the subfamily Caprimulginae, by the lack of rictal bristles. The American Ornithologists' Union treated the smaller Antillean nighthawk as conspecific with the common nighthawk until 1982.
How long do Nighthawks incubate?
Females choose the nest site and are the primary incubators of the eggs; males will incubate occasionally. Incubation time varies but is approximately 18 days. The female will leave the nest unattended during the evening in order to feed. The male will roost in a neighbouring tree (the spot he chooses changes daily); he guards the nest by diving, hissing, wing-beating or booming at the sites. In the face of predation, common nighthawks do not abandon the nest easily; instead they likely rely on their cryptic colouration to camouflage themselves. If a departure does occur, the females have been noted to fly away, hissing at the intruder or performing a disturbance display.
Where do Nighthawks nest?
Common Nighthawks nest in both rural and urban habitats including coastal sand dunes and beaches, logged forest, recently burned forest, woodland clearings, prairies, plains, sagebrush, grasslands, open forests, and rock outcrops. They also nest on flat gravel rooftops, though less often as gravel roofs are being replaced by smooth, rubberized roofs that provide an unsuitable surface. During migration, Common Nighthawks stop in farmlands, river valleys, marshes, coastal dunes, and open woodlands. Their South American wintering habitat is not well known. Back to top
How long do Nighthawks stay active?
Common Nighthawks are most active from half an hour before sunset until an hour after sunset, and again starting an hour before sunrise (ending about 15 minutes after the sun comes up).
Why are Nighthawks a threat to the environment?
Across North America, threats include reduction in mosquitoes and other aerial insects due to pesticides, and habitat loss including open woods in rural areas and flat gravel rooftops in urban ones. Nighthawks are also vulnerable to being hit by cars as they forage over roads or roost on roadways at night.
Do Nighthawks roost together?
Common Nighthawks are usually solitary, but they form large flocks during migration and males sometimes roost together. Large migrating flocks are most conspicuous in early evening, particularly as the birds gather above billboards and other bright lights to feed on insects.
Do foxes forage at night?
They occasionally forage during the day in stormy weather, but seem to never forage at night.
Do Nighthawks eat insects?
Common Nighthawks eat flying insects almost exclusively. The Common Nighthawk hunts on the wing at dawn and dusk, opening its tiny beak to reveal a cavernous mouth well suited for snapping up flying insects. It often takes advantage of clouds of insects attracted to streetlamps, stadium lights, and other bright lights.
What is a nighthawk?
Common Nighthawks are medium-sized, slender birds with very long, pointed wings and medium-long tails. Only the small tip of the bill is usually visible, and this combined with the large eye and short neck gives the bird a big-headed look. Slightly smaller than an American Kestrel; larger than a Purple Martin.
What color are Nighthawks?
Common Nighthawks are well camouflaged in gray, white, buff, and black. The long, dark wings have a striking white blaze about two-thirds of the way out to the tip. In flight, a V-shaped white throat patch contrasts with the rest of the bird’s mottled plumage. © Cameron Rutt | Macaulay Library. Behavior.
Where do nighthawks roost?
Look for Common Nighthawks flying in looping patterns in mornings and evenings. During the day, they roost motionless on a tree branch, fencepost, or the ground and are very difficult to see. When migrating or feeding over insect-rich areas such as lakes or well-lit billboards, nighthawks may gather in large flocks. Their buzzy, American Woodcock-like peent call is distinctive.
Overview
Names and etymology
The genus name Chordeiles is from Ancient Greek khoreia, a dance with music, and deile, "evening". The specific minor is Latin for "smaller".
The term "nighthawk", first recorded in the King James Version of 1611, was originally a local name in England for the European nightjar. Its use in the Americas to refers to members of the genus Chordeiles and related genera wa…
Taxonomy
Within the family Caprimulgidae, the subfamily Chordeilinae (nighthawks) are limited to the New World and are distinguished from the subfamily Caprimulginae, by the lack of rictal bristles.
The American Ornithologists' Union treated the smaller Antillean nighthawk as conspecific with the common nighthawk until 1982.
Habitat and distribution
The common nighthawk may be found in forests, desert, savannahs, beach and desert scrub, cities, and prairies, at elevations of sea level or below to 3,000 m (9,800 ft). They are one of a handful of birds that are known to inhabit recently burned forests, and then dwindle in numbers as successional growth occurs over the succeeding years or decades. The common nighthawk is drawn into urba…
Moult
In the common nighthawk, all bodily plumage and rectrices are replaced in the post-juvenile moult. This moult commences in September at the breeding grounds; the majority of the body plumage is replaced but wing-coverts and rectrices are not completed until January–February, once the bird arrives at the wintering grounds. There is no other moult prior to the annual moult of the adult. Common nighthawk adults have a complete moult that occurs mostly or completely on winterin…
Behavior
There are no differences between the calls and song of the common nighthawk. The most conspicuous vocalization is a nasal peent or beernt during even flight. Peak vocalizations are reported 30 to 45 minutes after sunset.
A croaking auk auk auk is vocalized by males while in the presence of a female during courtship. Another courtship sound, thought to be made solely by the males, is the boom, created by air rus…
Status and conservation
There has been a general decline in the number of common nighthawks in North America, but some population increases also have occurred in other geographical locations. The bird's large range makes individual risk thresholds in specific regions difficult to establish. In Ontario, the common nighthawk is rated as a species of special concern.
The Common nighthawk's trait of being a ground-nesting bird makes it particularly susceptible t…
External links
• BirdLife species factsheet for Chordeiles minor
• "Chordeiles minor". Avibase.
• "Common nighthawk media". Internet Bird Collection.
• Common nighthawk photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)