THE NIGHTHAWK 
By F. E. L. BEAL 
The National Association of Audubon Societies 
E ducational Leaflet No. 1 
The Nighthawk does not attract attention by either beauty of plu- 
mage or sweetness of song. It is found over nearly the whole of the 
United States in summer, but spends its winters in South America. Its 
name is a misnomer, for except a slight resemblance when on the wing 
Eggs of the Nighthawk A Young Nighthawk 
Photographed by Beecher S. Bowdish 
it is entirely unlike any species of hawk. All the birds of prey are noted 
for their strong, sharp, hooked beaks, and stout, curved claws — points in 
which the Nighthawk differs from them notably. 
It has a curious outward resemblance to the Whip-poor-will, but in 
habits the two birds are widely different. While more like each other 
than either is like any other bird, as far as plumage 
and color are concerned, there is little resemblance in Whip-poor-will 
their general habits. The Whip-poor-wills fly only 
after dark, and apparently only in short flights. The Nighthawk, on the 
contrary, delights in long circling flights during the late afternoon and 
early evening, as well as during moonlit nights and just before dawn; 
and at such times it utters its only note, which much resembles the 
scaip of the Woodcock. The skilful evolutions of a company of Night- 
hawks, as the birds gracefully cleave the air in intersecting circles, is 
a sight to be remembered. So expert are they on the wing that no insect 
is safe from them, even the swift dragon-fly being captured with ease- 
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