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Chordeiles minor
The Common Nighthawk is a medium-sized crepuscular or nocturnal bird, whose presence and identity are best revealed by its vocalization. Typically dark (grey, black and brown), displaying cryptic coloration and intricate patterns, this bird becomes invisible by day. Once aerial, with its buoyant but erratic flight, this bird is most conspicuous. The most remarkable feature of this aerial insectivore is its small beak belies the massiveness of its mouth. (information from Wikipedia)
Open grassland / prairie
I had seen a different nighthawk a few minutes earlier and a passing truck scared it off before I could shoot it. Yes, I was pretty mad about that. Well, I got a reprieve and spotted another one down the road from the first and got these shots. In all, I spotted 5 different nighthawks along my late afternoon drive.
Spotted on Jun 8, 2012
Submitted on Jun 9, 2012
4 Comments
Excellent! Thank you Goody.
From what I can tell, it's got quite a summer range. Here's a map that I found online:
http://sdakotabirds.com/species/maps/com...
Beautiful bird! The map link isn't working on the EOL reference. What is the range of this bird? I hope to see it someday :)
Nice spotting,