14 
FTHTHER Ol’.SKKVATK )NS ON MINNESOTA EIRDS: 
THE WHIPPOORWILL AND NIGHT HAWK. 
4'hese two l)irds, sometimes eonfused l)v the uninitiated, vet 
perfectly distinct species, are both insect-eaters and one of them — 
the A\4iippoorwill — not often seen and not very well known. It 
is a bird of the woods, unless disturbed flyint^^ only, by night, 
characterized by its peculiar note, oft-repeated: “AAdiip-poor- 
will !” “Whip-poor-will!” “Whip-poor-will!” with a “cluck” or 
“chuck” l)efore each call, audible to one close at hand. This song, 
(|uite forceful and penetrating, is heard in the first part of the 
night and just before dawn. In coloration, the bird harmonizes 
closely with the wood colors. When flushed, it disappears wdth 
absolutely noiseless fligdit. 
The Nig'ht Hawk, on the other hand, is markedly a bird of 
the open, frequently in flight in the afternoon and early in the 
evening, high in the air, uttering at frequent intervals his rather 
harsh cry and occasionally, on half-closed wings, darting- down to 
the earth wdth a booming sound, made, it is claimed, by the rush 
of air through his i)rimary wdng feathers. The twv) eggs of the 
Night Hawk are laid on the ground or in the fields, or even on a 
flat rock, with no seml)lance of a nest ; occasionally, they are found 
on flat roofs of building's in cities. The \A4iippoorwdirs eggs, also 
two in number, are laid on the ground or on a log* or stump in the 
woods, likewise protected by no nest. The coloring and mark- 
ings of the two birds also serve to distinguish them. The Whip- 
poorwill’s colors partake of the browns wdiile the Night HawT is 
grayish. The tail of the former has the three outer feathers white 
for about % their length. Further, the end of the tail is rounding. 
