1 20 NIGHTHA WK 



Nighthawk; Bull Bat: Chordeiles virginianus. 



Length 10 inches. 



Male, upper parts mottled, black, brown, and yellowish- 

 white. 



Under parts lighter, banded across with waving lines of 

 brown. 



A broad triangular band of white on the throat, a large 

 white spot on the wings, and a band of white across the tail. 



Female, without white on throat and tail. 



Resident (not uncommon) from April 25 to October; win- 

 ters in South America. 



The Nighthawk is seen in the late afternoon and 

 early evening flying high in the air in erratic bat-like 

 fashion in pursuit of his " daily bread." As he flies 

 he utters at intervals a loud squeak, and in breeding 

 season sometimes drops suddenly toward the earth 

 with a whirring noise which has been likened to that 

 made by the swift turning of a spinning-wheel. This 

 is produced by the air rushing through the stiffened 

 wings and tail, and can be heard at some distance. 

 The white spots on the long narrow wings look round 

 from below, and are spoken of as " a hole in the wing." 



Nighthawks, when resting, perch lengthwise on 

 limb or log like the Whip-poor-will, and are invisible 

 to careless observers. They build no nest, and the 

 two thickly speckled eggs are laid on the ground or 

 on a rock where they seem to be part of their sur- 

 roundings and only very sharp eyes will discover 

 them. If found and the old birds know it, they will 

 at once remove them to another place, carrying them 

 in their capacious mouths. Warren says : " I have 

 known the Nighthawk to move its eggs a distance 

 of over two hundred yards within an hour after I had 

 discovered them." 



These birds sometimes breed in the city, laying 

 their eggs on the roofs of houses. 



