Common Nighthawk

Common Nighthawk, Our Goatsucker

Common Nighthawk Adult Male [J Pierce Photo]

The Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles  minor) is a member of the Goatsucker family, Caprimulgidae.  This is a family of night-hunting birds who have large mouths for catching insects.  It contains nighthawks, whip-poor-wills and nightjars.  They all look much alike and can be identified by their calls.  They are called Goatsuckers because of an old myth in which people believed they suckled goats because of their large mouths.

In New Brunswick we have Common Nighthawks and occasionally a Whip-poor-will.  The population of nighthawks has declined in the east but they can still be seen.  They are most evident during migration when they are seen in loose groups.  For example, a group of about 50 was seen over the Little Southwest Miramichi River one recent evening.  We have seen groups of 10 or 20 over the St. John River on August or September evenings.  They usually are flying erratically hawking insects.  Nighthawks always glide on raised wings.

Common Nighthawk Female [J Pierce Photo]

Common Nighthawk Male  [J Pierce Photo]

Common Nighthawk Male [J Pierce Photo]

Nighthawks are dark in colour, dark gray, black or brown, striped or speckled nearly all over.  The colours are in patches on the head and back and striped on the breast.  Their wings are long and pointed and they have a distinctive white bar about half way out on each wing.  They have a very large dark eye and long whiskers.  The males have a white throat patch and a white tail band.  The throat is beige on the female and she lacks the tail band.  The tail is slightly forked.  They are 24 cm long (9.5 in).

Nighthawks prefer open areas like clearings, fields, and ponds.  They also inhabit towns and cities.  They nest on bare ground and gravel rooftops.  They are mainly nocturnal and roost during the day on the ground or perched lengthwise on wires or branches.  They are so well camouflaged they would not be easily seen when perched!  They, however, are more active during the day than other members of their family.  

Nighthawks utter a ‘peent’ call.  During courtship the male makes a unique hollow booming sound with its wings.  Many years ago (perhaps 40) I remember hearing the ‘peent’ call of these birds and their booming sound as they flew around the houses and buildings of Fredericton.  I remember seeing them roosting on roof tops.  That would be an uncommon sight now!  

The breeding range of the Common Nighthawk covers most of North America.  It winters in South America.  It lays two white or pale olive buff eggs spotted with gray or brown.  Incubation is done by the female for 19 days.  They feed on all forms of insects captured while in flight sometimes flying up to 600 feet high.  They are attracted to lights where insects gather.  They even drink while in flight by skimming water surfaces.  

The erratic flight at dusk of the nighthawk causes it to be sometimes mistaken for a bat.  In fact, in the south it is sometimes called ‘boom bat’.  Analyses of stomach contents of nighthawks show that they consume up to 500 mosquitos in one day.  We need to do what we can to rebuild our population of nighthawks!