Common Nighthawk eggs macro SOOC 20120614 This is a second nighthawk nest that we discovered yesterday. The Common Nighthawk is one of the only species of insectivorous, crepuscular birds that uses a wide variety of habitats and is widely distributed in Canada. On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. A common nesting bird on islands of the Caribbean, this nighthawk enters our area only in southern Florida. Most have long, stiff bristles surrounding the mouth that aid in the capture of insects. When the eggs or young are threatened, females will feign injury to draw potential predators away.

Cropped to screen size but not otherwise processed. Fighting for Nighthawks. Eggs are laid on the ground in open areas and can be found on gravel, leaf litter, bare rock, and cinder substrates. Both parents care for young, feeding them regurgitated insects. Its bounding, erratic flight and angular wings make it unmistakable except in the southwest and in Florida, where two other types of nighthawks occur. This widespread and familiar bird may hunt by day or night, catching flying insects in the air. Both parents care for young, feeding them regurgitated insects. The mostly white eggs depend on the cryptic plumage of the incubating female to avoid predation. The Common Nighthawk can be spotted at dawn or dusk as it’s quickly flying in the sky, foraging for insects. 2016). Common Nighthawks eat flying insects almost exclusively. It often takes advantage of clouds of insects attracted … During the day they’re harder to spot due to their efficient camouflage that allows them to blend in easily when they roost in trees or on the ground. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. 1996). The Common nighthawk occurs mainly in open, vegetation-free terrains such as recently harvested forests, burnt-over and logged areas, lakeshores, river banks and beaches, dunes, rocky outcrops and rocky barrens, peat bogs and swamps, grasslands and pastures. Crows, ravens, gulls, and many mammal species will undoubtedly opt for snatching a Nighthawk egg for a good protein-filled snack. • The common nighthawk is one of eight nighthawk species in the Americas. The Common Nighthawk lays its two eggs on bare ground, rock, gravel, sand, wood chips, fallen leaves, needles, or occasionally on living vegetation (Poulin et al. One suspected cause is the extensive use of pesticides. 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. When it was first discovered there in 1941 it was considered to be only a subspecies of the Common Nighthawk, as it looks very similar; however, its voice is different. and eggs from Jason in Oklahoma. This bird is nesting in the parking lot of Roger McCollum’s business in Alabama! Both parents care for young, feeding them regurgitated insects. CONSERVATION: The species is considered as ‘threatened’ in Canada.

Common Nighthawk Nest and Egg. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. In light of the Common Nighthawk’s population decline, Partners in Flight has designated it a Common Bird in Steep Decline and assigned it a Continental Concern Score of 11/20 (Rosenberg et al.

Natural predators to the Common Nighthawk include foxes, owls, and Peregrine Falcons, however it’s their eggs that are most vulnerable to predation. In Canada, it is estimated that there are around 400,000 adult Nighthawks. The female Common Nighthawk performs all incubation duties, but will leave the nest to feed. All belong to the nightjar family Caprimulgidae, including the American whippoorwill and Old World (African and Eurasian) nightjars. The female Common Nighthawk performs all incubation duties, but will leave the nest to feed. There are 76 nightjar species distributed throughout the world. The Common Nighthawk breeds in open areas, forest clearings, cultivation, barren rock, gravel or beaches.