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 
venturesome 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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