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Common Nighthawk

Chordeiles minor

Published on Project Noah
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40.6377, -103.944

Field Notes

Description:

Common Nighthawks are about 22 to 24 cm in length, have large mouths and eyes, and are well camouflaged being heavily patterned. Tails are slightly forked and wings are long and slender. Males have a white throat patch and tail band. Females do not have a tail band and are more buff-colored on the throat.

Habitat:

They are found across North America and south into South America. They range widely across many different habitats.

Reference Links:

Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (8)
Gordon Dietzman
Cindy, Ha! That is the second time I've done that...grin. Thanks for noticing and letting me know. I've deleted the old one.
Maria dB
Very beautiful bird and great photo!
CindyBinghamKeiser
Gorgeous! Is this the same bird as your other spotting http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/6219879? If so, you can combine them.
Gordon Dietzman
Yes, and the whip-poor-will range is further to the east, although not by much. They really are very gorgeous birds. Once while backpacking in Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness, I nearly stepped on a ground-nesting nighthawk. Made my hair stand on end....grin. This particular bird sat on this post hoping its cryptic coloration would hide it, but, of course, it was pretty obvious.
SarahWhitt
Hi Gordon....awesome photo of this bird! I am amazed how similar it looks to the whippoorwill; however, I was able to listen to the sound of the nighthawk & their "voices" are totally different.

Spotted for Missions

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Birds of the World

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Photographed
PublishedFebruary 25, 2012

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