134 MACROCHIRES : Goatsuckers, Swifts, and Hummingbirds 



TEXAS NIGHTHAWK 



(421. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis) 9 in. 



Mixed gray above, feathers dusky centrally; round buffy 

 spots on wings; throat white, chest gray, buffy-spotted; remain- 

 ing under parts gray or buffy, dusky-barred on belly and under 

 tail -co verts; white wing-spot much nearer wing-tip than in 

 Pacific Nighthawk, and whole bird lighter. 



Female has rusty throat-bar. 



Identified in the field by light color and by habit of hunting 

 close to ground. It does not "boom." 



WESTERN NIGHTHAWK 



(420a. Chordeiles virginianus henry i) 10 in. 



Like the Pacific form, but more heavily marked above, with 

 rusty instead of gray; belly rusty-washed. 



The Nighthawks of this group (virginianus) hunt high up in 

 the air, where they may often be seen at twilight. Their nasal 

 scream, frequently repeated, is varied by occasional headlong 

 dives and a whizzing "boom-m," probably made by the wings, 

 as the bird turns upward again. This antic alone distinguishes 

 the group from the Texas species. 



PACIFIC NIGHTHAWK 



(420d. Chordeiles virginianus hesperis) 10 in. 



All dull black above, gray-mixed, the gray becoming more 

 extensive on closed wings; below, a white throat-bar (rusty in 

 female), buffy-spotted chest, then white-and-dusky-barred to a 

 strong white band near tail-tip; outer six primaries have a clear 

 white spot, conspicuous in flight. 



Like all members of this family, it feeds on insects taken on 

 the wing. 



