Where’s Wildlife · Bird Field Guide
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Pronounced (approx.): kor-DYE-leez MY-nor
Despite its name, this insect-eating bird is a nightjar rather than a hawk.
Three Identification Clues
Very long, pointed wings with a conspicuous white patch on each wing.
A small bill and large eyes on a broad, flat-looking head.
Mottled gray-brown plumage provides camouflage while resting.
Field Photographs
Showing all 4 photographs.
Beyond the first impression
Plumage & Identification
Two very different views of one bird
At rest, the mottled gray, brown, black, and buff plumage blends with its surroundings. Overhead, long angular wings and conspicuous white patches provide a much stronger clue. Compare a perched photograph with a flight view instead of expecting them to look alike. [1]
Color is not uniform across the range
Eastern birds tend to be browner, while northern Great Plains birds can look silvery gray. Adult males may show a white throat patch and tail band. A dark photograph or folded wings can hide useful markings, so shape, movement, and voice deserve attention too. [1]
Life history
How This Bird Lives
Where to look
Watch the open sky above fields, river corridors, and towns at dawn or dusk. A wide view makes it easier to follow the bird's looping path. Insects gathered around existing lights sometimes attract feeding birds; there is no need to approach their daytime resting places. [3]
Food & foraging
The visible bill is tiny, but it opens into a wide mouth for catching insects in flight. Moths, beetles, flying ants, and many other insects are taken. Hunting can occur close to the water or high overhead. [2]
A nest site without a built nest
The female lays two camouflaged eggs on gravel, bare rock, leaf litter, or another suitable open surface. Some birds use gravel roofs. There is no cup of twigs to mark the site. [2]
Incubation lasts about 16–20 days. Both parents feed insects to the young, and adults may use distraction displays near a nest. Give a settled bird room rather than walking closer to test its camouflage. [2]
Did you know?
A Closer Look at Common Nighthawks
A sound made by wings
The male's deep boom comes from air rushing over the wings as he pulls out of a steep dive. It is different from the familiar vocal peent. [3]
Neither a hawk nor a bat
This is a nightjar, not a bird of prey. Its irregular flight and booming display helped inspire the old nickname bullbat. [3]
A resting place can be hard to spot
During daylight, a nighthawk may remain motionless on a branch, fencepost, roof, or the ground. A bird that seems to vanish after landing may simply be remarkably well concealed. [1]
Sources: [1] Cornell · Identification [2] Cornell · Life history [3] Cornell · Species overview
Range & Sightings
Keep Learning
Compare several photographs and listen to recordings to connect appearance with voice.