Common Nighthawk
Common Nighthawk Information
Length: 9 - 10"
Habitat: Open or semi-open habitats such as forest clearings, grasslands, farmland, burned-over areas, fields, and beaches. Also found in towns and cities.
Diet: Many species of flying insects, including
mosquitoes, beetles, flying ants, moths, and grasshoppers.
Sounds of the Common Nighthawk
Additional Information
Common NighthawkDescription, habitat, distribution, behavior, diet, reproduction, predators, lifespan, and conservation status. Includes photos and range map. (From Wikipedia)
Common Nighthawk
By Reago & McClarren [CC 2.0]
.jpg){kind=link}
Common Nighthawk
Identification Tips
- Very short bill
- Blackish upperparts with gray and white patterning
- Brown and white patterning on head and chest
- Underparts with heavy dark bars
- Dark wings with conspicuous pale patch midway out from bend in wing
- Dark tail with thin white bars
- White throat
- Buff throat
(Credit: U. S. Geological Survey)
Breeding Bird Survey Map,
2011-2015
(Image credit: USGS)
Range in New England
The Common Nighthawk breeds throughout New England, although this is not shown on the USGS map above. See Cornell map below.
This bird winters in South America.
Range Map from Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Year-round Map from eBird
Year-round sightings of the Common Nighthawk from
over past 10 years
(2009-2019)
Note: This map may underestimate the population of this bird due to the difficulty in sighting it.