THE NIGHT HAWK. 



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(^ HE range of the Night Hawk, 

 also known as " Bull-bat," 

 "Mosquito Hawk," "Will o' 

 the Wisp," "Pisk," "Piram- 

 idig," and sometimes erroneously as 

 "Whip-poor-will," being frequently 

 mistaken for that bird, is an extensive 

 one. It is only a summer visitor 

 throughout the United States and 

 Canada, generally arriving from its 

 winter haunts in the Bahamas, or 

 Central and South America in the 

 latter part of April, reaching the 

 more northern parts about a month 

 later, and leaving the latter again in 

 large straggling flocks about the end 

 of August, moving leisurely southward 

 and disappearing gradually along our 

 southern border about the latter part 

 of October. Major Bendire says its 

 migrations are very extended and 

 cover the greater part of the American 

 continent. 



The Night Hawk, in making its 

 home, prefers a well timbered country. 

 Its common name is somewhat of a 

 misnomer, as it is not nocturnal in its 

 habits. It is not an uncommon sight 

 to see numbers of these birds on the 

 wing on bright sunny days, but it 

 does most of" its hunting in cloudy 

 weather, and in the early morning and 

 evening, returning to rest soon after 

 dark. On bright moonlight nights it 

 flies later, and its calls are sometimes 

 heard as late as eleven o'clock. 



"This species is one of the most 

 graceful birds on the wing, and its 

 aerial evolutions are truly wonderful ; 

 one moment it may be seen soaring 

 through space without any apparent 

 movement of its pinions, and again its 

 swift flight is accompanied by a good 

 deal of rapid flapping of the wings, 

 like that of Falcons, and this is more 

 or less varied by numerous twistings 

 and turnings. While constantly 

 darting here and there in pursuit 

 of its prey," says a traveler, "I 

 have seen one of these birds shoot 



almost perpendicularly upward after 

 an insect, with the swiftness of an 

 arrow. The Night Hawk's tail 

 appears to assist it greatly in these 

 sudden zigzag changes, being partly 

 expanded during most of its compli- 

 cated movements." 



Night Hawks are sociable- birds, 

 especially on the wing, and seem to 

 enjoy each other's company. Their 

 squeaking call note, sounding like 

 "Speek-speek," is repeated at intervals. 

 These aerial evolutions are principally 

 confined to the mating season. On 

 the ground the movements of this 

 Hawk are slow, unsteady, and more or 

 less laborious. Its food consists mainly 

 of insects, such as flies and mosquitos, 

 small beetles, grass-hoppers, and the 

 small night-flying moths, all of which 

 are caught on the wing. A useful 

 bird, it deserves the fullest protection. 



The favorite haunts of the Night 

 Hawk are the edges of forests and 

 clearings, burnt tracts, meadow lands 

 along river bottoms, and cultivated 

 fields, as well as the flat mansard roofs 

 in many of our larger cities, to which 

 it is attracted by the large amount of 

 food found there, especially about 

 electric lights. During the heat of 

 the day the Night Hawk may be seen 

 resting on limbs of trees, fence rails, 

 the flat surface of lichen-covered rock, 

 on stone walls, old logs, chimney tops, 

 and on railroad tracks. It is very rare 

 to find it on the ground. 



The nesting-time is June and July. 

 No nest is made, but two eggs are 

 deposited on the bare ground, fre- 

 quently in very exposed situations, or 

 in slight depressions on flat rocks, 

 between rows of corn, and the like. 

 Only one brood is raised. The birds 

 sit alternately for about sixteen days. 

 There is endless variation in the 

 marking of the eggs, and it is con 

 sidered one of the most difficult to 

 describe satisfactorily. 



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