ignorantly believe that the nighthawk and whippoorwill are birds of the 
same species, one being the male, the other the female. Although both 
are nocturnal birds, their habits are different. The whippoorwill gets its 
food on or near the ground, never flying very high in the air. Nighthawks 
are sometimes shot while flying in the air by thoughtless men and boys, 
wrongly calling such cruelty sport. The nighthawk is a very useful 
bird. It never touches grain or fruit, living on insects of the air, chiefly 
flying ants. 
CHIMNEY SWIFT— (Chaetura pelagica.) 
Body sooty brown ; throat grayish white ; sharply pointed tail feathers. 
Length about five and one-half inches. 
Arrival. April 29 to May 10. 
Favorite Haunts. In the air. 
Field Marks. This bird may be distinguished from the swallows by 
its quick, strong, rapid flight. 
Note. A prolonged chatter. 
The chimney "swallow" as it is more commonly called is not a swal- 
low but a swift belonging to a family by itself and being related to the 
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