188 



NJGHTHAWK 



Nighthawk : Chordeiles virginianus. 



Male, upper parts blackish, marked with brown ; under parts 

 whitish, barred with black; throat white; icings and tail with 

 conspicuous white hands. Female, no white on tail, and throat 

 buffy. Length, 10 inches. 



Geographic Distribution. — Eastern North America ; breeds 

 from the Gulf states to Labrador ; winters in South America. 



Like the Whip-poor-will, the Nighthawk is cre- 

 puscular, flying mainly 

 in the dusky margins of 

 the clay. The two birds 

 look much alike, but the 

 Nighthawk has a white 

 throat instead of a nar- 

 row white line on a black 

 throat, and in the sky 

 shows white bands on its 

 crescent-like wings. 

 On warm summer evenings you may often see 



one or more coursing over the meadows, getting 



their food on the wing. 



They live largely on 



flies, mosquitoes, grass- 

 hoppers, and crickets ; 



and one bird was found 



with 573 large-winged 



ants in its stomach, in 



ajddition to parts of 72 



small-winged ants and 



16 grasshoppers. A 



Fig. 97. 

 Nighthawk. 



Fig. 98. 

 Whip-poor-will. 



