Common Nighthawk

The amazing camouflage of the Common Nighthawk | 07/24/2022

Description

The Common Nighthawk is a master of camouflage. This bird will often perch on a branch like in the above photo and sit motionless for hours. It has a bark-like coloring on its body with striping on its chest. When in flight it has distinct white wing bars that make it easy to spot even in the evening light.

Personal stats

First observation

📆	06/05/20
📍	San Antonio, Texas

Captured media details

	Male	Female	Unknown
📸			✔️
🎙️			✔️

Experiences & anecdotes

05/11/2023 - I wanted to see this bird for the longest time. The first time I saw it I was on a walk through my neighborhood and my partner noticed it perched on the roof of one of the houses. We were ecstatic! This bird sits low and parallel to the ground so it's often hard to spot.

The second time we saw this bird was at the Purple Martin Party held by Travis Audubon in Austin, TX. We went to this event to watch thousands of Purple Martins fly through the sky and pour down into the tree to roost for the night. While we were waiting for the martins to begin roosting, I spotted a Common Nighthawk flying around in the sky.

Captured media

Photographs

This Common Nighthawk flew around the parking lot in Austin, showing off its white wing bars | 07/16/2022

Another view of the hidden nighthawk | 07/30/2022

Audio recordings

ML560097971 - 0:02
- You'll often hear these calls in the evening as the nighthawk flies around.