Common nighthawk
Images copyright by Mark A. Chappell
Nighthawks are attractive, big-eyed nocturnal birds that catch flying insects in huge, gaping mouths. They have very long wings and a buoyant, moth-like flight. By day they roost in trees (as the birds at upper left and below are doing) or on the ground, using their intricate camouflaged plumage to avoid predators, and they start to become active in the late afternoon. Most of these birds -- all males, shown by their white throats -- were living in a small grove of cottonwood trees at the White Mountain Research Station in Bishop, California. The bird on the power line was in eastern Kansas. Two female common nighthawks from Panama are shown here.
