Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)

 

 

Chordeiles minor nests throughout most of North America, north to Yukon and central Quebec and south to California and Florida, but also in Mexico and Central America. This species is migratory, vacating its breeding range between late July and early October. The northbound migration occurs between in February and June. The wintering grounds are in South America (Map).

Common Nighthawk is found in forests, savannas, scrubland, prairies, and man-modified areas, including cities; from sea level to 3,000 m. The nesting habitat includes rocky barrens (e.g., alvars), clearings, recently burned areas, gravel patches, e.g., on flat rooftops. Clutch consists of 2 eggs laid on bare ground or a scrape in gravel or lichens. Incubation 18 days; the chicks are semiprecocial. Common Nighthawk hunts flying insects (e.g., winged ants, beetles, and caddisflies) on the wing; feeding activity is most noticeable around sunset and dawn. Like many aerial insectivores, this species has declined in North America, due to use of insecticides, collision with vehicles and man-made structures, and perhaps other factors.

 

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