The Texas Nighthawk 



' 



Taken in Merced County 



Photo by the Author 



PROTECTIVE COLORATION 



ONLY THE TELL-TALE EYE REMAINS TO GIVE THE CHICK AWAY 



recorded. One observer speaks of the bird's "mewing," another of its 

 "humming," and a third likens the terrestrial serenade song to "the dis- 

 tant and very rapid tapping of a large woodpecker." 



Texas Nighthawks bear a close superficial resemblance to the more 

 widely known Chordeiles minor, and their appearance a-wing is not par- 

 ticularly different. They are, however, less active and, above all, less 

 venturesorre on the wing. They do not favor high levels of air nor 

 attempt the aerial stunts of minor, but they flit about modestly over the 

 sage tops, or else leap up off the ground at their winged prey. Texas 

 Nighthawks are also quite sociable, especially toward the close of the 

 breeding season, and hundreds may sometimes be seen in favored valleys, 

 or over such bodies of water as abound in insects. While nesting may 

 be conducted at any remove from water, it is probable that the birds make 

 daily visits to water-holes, and drink "hen-fashion," or else dip on the 

 wing from some of the larger surfaces. Though they endure the extreme 

 heat of the desert, they cannot be quite insensible to it, for they retire to 

 Transition levels with the advancing season. The highest altitude of 



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