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Nighthawk

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Kingdom
  
Order
  
Caprimulgiformes

Higher classification
  
Nightjar

Phylum
  
Chordata

Scientific name
  
Chordeilinae

Rank
  
Subfamily


Lower classifications
  

Have you heard the sound of the common nighthawk


A nighthawk is a nocturnal bird of the subfamily Chordeilinae, within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae. 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 refers to members of the genus Chordeiles and related genera was first recorded in 1778.

Contents

Nighthawk Common Nighthawk Audubon Field Guide

Nighthawks are medium-sized birds with long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They usually nest on the ground. They feed on flying insects. The least nighthawk, at 16 centimetres (6.3 in) and 23 grams (0.81 oz), is the smallest of all Caprimulgiformes. Nightjars are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats (the Latin for goatsucker is Caprimulgus).

Nighthawk httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommons77

Nighthawks have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically coloured to resemble bark or leaves. Some species perch facing along a branch, rather than across it as birds usually do. This helps to conceal them during the day. The female lays two patterned eggs directly onto bare ground.

Nighthawk Common Nighthawk Identification All About Birds Cornell Lab of

They are mostly active in the late evening and early morning or at night and feed on moths and other large flying insects. The bill opens very wide and has a slightly hooked upper tip.

Nighthawk Voices Common Nighthawk YouTube

Nighthawks are similar in most respects to the nightjars, but have shorter bills and plumage that is less soft. Nighthawks are less strictly nocturnal than many nightjars and may be seen hunting when there is still light in the sky.

Nighthawk Common Nighthawk Audubon Field Guide

Nighthawk going to bird rescue wichita falls reptile rescue


Species

Nighthawk Common Nighthawk Identification All About Birds Cornell Lab of

  • Band-tailed nighthawk, Nyctiprogne leucopyga
  • Plain-tailed nighthawk, Nyctiprogne vielliardi - formerly in Chordeiles
  • Nacunda nighthawk, Podager nacunda
  • Rufous-bellied nighthawk Lurocalis rufiventris
  • Short-tailed nighthawk, Lurocalis semitorquatus
  • Antillean nighthawk, Chordeiles gundlachii
  • Lesser nighthawk, Chordeiles acutipennis
  • Common nighthawk, Chordeiles minor
  • Least nighthawk, Chordeiles pusillus
  • Sand-colored nighthawk, Chordeiles rupestris
  • References

    Nighthawk Wikipedia


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