Nighthawk— Swifts WESTERN BIRDS 



GENUS CHORDEILES : TEXAS NIGHT- 

 HAWK. 



Texas Nighthawk: Chordeiles acutipennis texensis. 

 FAMILY— NIGHTHAWKS, ETC. 



The Texas Nighthawk is found in the lower altitudes 

 in summer-time, being especially numerous on the south- 

 eastern deserts and in the San Diegan district, California. 

 It occurs as far north as Mendocino, Stanislaus and San 

 Benito Counties, California. It is smaller than the 

 Pacific Nighthawk but is unmistakably a member of 

 this family. We once saw one of these birds resting on 

 a fence, the last of May, as we drove through the San 

 Joaquin Valley in Tulare County. 



On February 16, 1920, three of these birds were ob- 

 served in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles County, 

 this being a very early record for them. 



SUBORDER CYPSELI. 



FAMILY— MICROPODID^: SWIFTS. 



The ninety-odd known species of Swifts are distribu- 

 ted throughout the greater part of the world but are most 

 abundant in the tropics. About one-third this number 

 are American but only four advance north of Mexico. 

 Some Swifts nest in colonies and most species are asso- 

 ciated in companies, at other times of the year. Hollow 

 trees and caves are the natural nesting and roosting- 

 places of many species, while others fasten their nests 

 to the under surface of palm leaves, and the East Indian 

 Tree Swifts attach their nest to a limb. Most Swifts 

 appear to employ the glutinous secretion of the salivary 

 glands in nest-construction and the edible nests of the 



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