|72 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



61. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis Lawrence. 



TEXAN NIGHTHAWK. 



Chordeiles acutipennis var. texensis Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, History of North 

 American Birds, II, 1874, 406. 



(Of. Hartert, Catalogue Birds British Museum, XVI, 192, (510.) 

 (B 116, C 268, R 358, C 402, U 421.) 



Geographical range: Southwestern United States, from southern and western 

 Texas, southern New Mexico, and Arizona; north to latitude 38° in California (to San 

 Joaquin and Stanislaus counties), southern Nevada, and southern Utah; east (casually "?) 

 to southwestern Louisiana; south to Lower California and over the tabledands of north- 

 ern Mexico; in winter to Costa Rica and Veragua, Central America. 



Within the last few years the range of the Texan Nighthawk in the United 

 States has been greatly extended. In California it is now known to occur as far 

 north as San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, in about latitude 38°, Mr. L. 

 Belding having observed about a dozen of these birds on June b, 1891, at 

 Knight's Ferry, in the latter county, and one of these was secured by him. East 

 of the Sierra Nevadas this species was met with by Dr. C. Hart Merriam and 

 other members of his exploring party as far north as Bishop, in Inyo County, 

 California, as well as at several points in southern Nevada and in the lower Santa 

 Clara Valley, in Utah. In the latter valley Dr. Merriam found it breeding near 

 St. George, securing a set of fresh eggs on May 13, 1891. It appears to be 

 generally distributed throughout the arid desert regions of Arizona, and it is 

 common in suitable localities throughout this Territory as well as through the 

 southern portions of New Mexico, and it is also an abundant summer resident 

 in the southern and western portions of Texas. Mr. E. A. Mcllhenny has taken 

 it in southwestern Louisiana, where it probably occurs only as a straggler. It 

 also appears to be generally distributed throughout the greater part of Lower 

 California. 



Some of the habits of the Texan Nighthawk, the smallest representative of 

 this genus found within the United States, are very similar to those of its some- 

 what larger relative, the Western Nighthawk. Like the last-named species, it is 

 a very sociable bird at times; in suitable localities, for instance on the bottom 

 lands bordering some of the larger streams within its range, it is very abundant, 

 and I never saw so many Nighthawks anywhere as I did of this species one 

 evening while camped near a slough close to the Gila River, while in route from 

 Fort Yuma to old Fort McDowell, southwestern Arizona, in July, 1871. There 

 were certainly several hundred making their evening meal on the numerous 

 insects which abounded in that vicinity. Its flight is equally as graceful as 

 that of the other Nighthawks, but it rarely soars as high as the former, and 

 generally skims just over the tops of the bushes or close to the surface of the 

 water. In fact, I have repeatedly seen them touch the surface, as if drinking or 



