Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)

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Image of a Common Nighthawk in its natural habitat
Birds Nighthawk

Introduction

The Common Nighthawk, Chordeiles minor, is a medium-sized member of the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae. Despite its name, it is not a hawk and is most active around dusk and dawn rather than throughout the night. It breeds across much of North America and migrates to Central and South America, where it spends the non-breeding season in a range of open habitats.

Physical Description

The Common Nighthawk measures approximately 22–24 cm in length, weighs about 65–98 g and has a wingspan of roughly 53–57 cm. It has a large, flattened head, large eyes, a short bill and a very wide mouth adapted for catching insects in flight. The long, pointed wings and slightly notched tail give it a distinctive shape when flying.

Its plumage is mottled grey, brown, buff, black and white, providing effective camouflage against bare ground, gravel, rock, tree bark and other substrates. In flight, the most obvious feature is a broad white patch across each long, dark wing. Adult males also have a bright white throat patch and a white band near the tip of the tail. Females are generally duller, with buff or pale markings replacing much of the male’s white. Juveniles resemble adults but are usually browner and less sharply marked.

Range and Habitat

The Common Nighthawk breeds from Alaska and Canada through much of the United States and into parts of Central America. It is a long-distance migrant. Most populations move south in late summer and autumn, with the non-breeding range extending through Central America into South America. Recent tracking studies indicate that many individuals from northern breeding populations use areas of central Brazil, while some populations travel farther south.

Breeding habitat is usually open or sparsely vegetated, including prairies, grasslands, plains, sagebrush, woodland clearings, recently burned or logged forest, rocky outcrops, beaches and gravelly shorelines. In towns and cities, the species may nest on flat gravel roofs. During migration, it can be seen over farmland, river valleys, marshes, coastal dunes, open woodland and other places where flying insects gather.

Behaviour and Diet

Common Nighthawks are primarily crepuscular. They are most active from around sunset until shortly afterwards, and again before sunrise. They feed by hawking insects from the air, using buoyant, looping flight interspersed with glides and sudden turns. Individuals may forage close to the ground or high above it, sometimes concentrating around artificial lights where insects accumulate.

The diet consists almost entirely of flying insects, including moths, beetles, winged ants, wasps, flies, grasshoppers, crickets, bugs, mayflies and caddisflies. The large mouth allows the bird to engulf prey while in flight. It may occasionally forage during daylight in overcast or stormy conditions, but it is not normally active throughout the night.

The species is generally solitary during the breeding season, although birds may gather in large flocks during migration. Males defend breeding areas and perform courtship dives. During a steep dive, air rushing over the wing feathers produces a distinctive booming or rushing sound. The male may then land near the female, display his throat patch and spread or wag his tail.

The female usually lays two eggs directly on bare ground, gravel, sand, rock, leaves, needles, wood chips or another suitable surface. No conventional nest is constructed. Incubation lasts about 16–20 days, and the young leave the nest after approximately 17–18 days. The female commonly leaves the eggs unattended while she feeds in the evening. Both parents feed the chicks regurgitated insects and may use distraction displays to draw predators away from the nesting site.

Identification Tips

  • Look for a medium-sized, slender bird with very long, pointed wings and a short, slightly notched tail.
  • In flight, identify the broad white wing patches positioned well out towards the wingtips.
  • The flight is often erratic and looping, with frequent glides and abrupt changes of direction.
  • Listen for the nasal, buzzy “peent” call during evening activity and migration.
  • Adult males show a clear white throat patch and a white tail band. Females and juveniles are duller and more buff-coloured.
  • The Common Nighthawk is generally larger and longer-winged than the Lesser Nighthawk, Chordeiles acutipennis. Identification can be difficult where the two species overlap, so wing pattern, structure, flight style, calls and geographic context should be considered together.

Conservation Status

The Common Nighthawk is listed globally as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. However, monitoring in North America indicates a long-term decline in abundance, and the species is considered a conservation concern in several parts of its breeding range.

Potential pressures include the loss or alteration of open nesting habitat, the replacement of gravel roofs with smooth roofing materials, changes in forestry and agricultural practices, pesticide use and reductions in flying-insect prey. Because the species migrates between continents, conservation also depends on protecting stopover and non-breeding habitats in Central and South America.

Useful conservation measures include retaining natural clearings, open grasslands, rocky areas and suitable post-fire habitat; protecting important migration and non-breeding sites; maintaining insect-rich landscapes; reducing unnecessary pesticide use; and, where appropriate, providing safe gravel nesting areas on suitable flat roofs. Further research is needed on population trends, migration routes, non-breeding ecology and the effects of changing insect abundance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Common Nighthawk a hawk?

No. The Common Nighthawk is a nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. Its name refers to its habit of feeding in the evening sky, not to a close relationship with hawks.

Is the Common Nighthawk nocturnal?

It is mainly crepuscular, meaning it is most active around dusk and dawn. It may forage during the day in poor weather, but it does not normally spend the entire night hunting.

What does the Common Nighthawk eat?

It eats flying insects almost exclusively, including moths, beetles, winged ants, flies, grasshoppers, crickets, mayflies and caddisflies.

Where does the Common Nighthawk nest?

It usually nests directly on the ground in open areas such as gravel, sand, bare rock, woodland clearings, prairies, beaches and recently burned or logged sites. In urban areas, it may use flat gravel roofs.

Why does the Common Nighthawk make a booming sound?

Males produce the booming sound during courtship and territorial displays by diving steeply through the air. The sound is caused by air passing over the wing feathers rather than by a conventional vocal call.

Where does the Common Nighthawk migrate?

Most Common Nighthawks migrate south from their North American breeding grounds to Central and South America. Tracking studies show that many northern populations use central Brazil during the non-breeding season, although routes and destinations vary among populations.

References

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