Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Habitat
Aerial
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Nocturnal
Size
79 g
About This Species
This nightjar relative is most often seen at dusk, flying erratically high over open country, towns and cities while hawking insects on the wing, with its buzzy peent call and a distinctive white wing-bar visible in flight. By day it rests motionless on the ground, gravel roofs or tree branches, relying on cryptic plumage to stay hidden, so evening flight displays are by far the easiest way to encounter it. Warm summer evenings during its breeding season in North America offer the best chance of prolonged views as birds forage over open areas.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Because it roosts on the ground or on flat gravel rooftops, avoid approaching resting birds closely, as flushing them wastes energy and can expose eggs or chicks laid directly on bare ground to predators or the elements.
- It is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States and Canada, making disturbance of nests or eggs illegal, which matters given its use of gravel rooftops and open ground in and near developed areas.
- Where roof-nesting sites are known, keep away from access points during the nesting season rather than approaching for a closer look.
Seasonal Activity
893,919 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Caprimulgidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Aerial
- Activity
- Nocturnal
- Body mass
- 79 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.