Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)

Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor

The *Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)* nests across almost all of the United States and Canada. This bird may be a familiar sight on a summer evening as it forages for flying insects over towns, cities and countryside across the U.S. Despite the tiny bill, this species has a huge mouth opening which it uses to catch its elusive prey on the wing. The species often roosts in conspicuous locations in the daytime. The bird on the immediate left was at Port Bolivar, Galveston Co., Texas, in June, 1997. The shot was taken with a Canon T-90 and Sigma 500mm F/4.5 lens on Fuji Sensia film.
The nighthawk shown here was perched on a steel pipe near Marfa, Presidio Co., Texas, in July, 1997. The shot was taken with the same gear as above.
This nighthawk found a roost on some sort of pressure gauge attached to some oil field equipment at High Island, Galveston Co., Texas, in May, 1998. The same equipment as above was used.
The two shots shown here are of different individuals in Kenedy Co., Texas in June, 2000. Both these images were taken with a Canon EOS 3 and EF 600mm F/4 L lens on Fuji Provia film.

The two shots here were taken in Kenedy Co., Texas, in June, 2002, with a Canon EOS 1V and EF 500mm F/4 L IS lens on Fuji Provia.

The next 6 images show Common Nighthawks in flight. These images were taken near Roosevelt, Kimble Co., Texas, in May, 2008, with a Canon EOS 1D Mark III and EF 500mm F/4 L IS lens. A flock of about 20 Common Nighthawks was foraging over some brushy scrub near I-10 and I was able to get a number of shots of some of the birds as they swooped down near me on occasion. The males have a white throat patch and white in the tail, while the females show a buffy throat patch and lack the white in the tail.





The next two shots, showing a Common Nighthawk resting on a fence post, were taken on the Brett Gray Ranch, a Nature Conservancy property, in Lincoln Co., Colorado, in July, 2011.

Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor Sea Rim State Park, Jefferson Co., Texas 20 May 2013
Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor Sea Rim State Park, Sabine Pass, Jefferson Co., Texas 19 April 2016
Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor Anahuac N.W.R., Chambers Co., Texas 20 April 2016
Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor Anahuac N.W.R., Chambers Co., Texas 20 April 2016
Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor Dick Kleberg Park, Kingsville, Kleberg Co., Texas 18 July 2017
Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor Dick Kleberg Park, Kingsville, Kleberg Co., Texas 18 July 2017
Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor Sea Rim State Park, Jefferson Co., Texas 24 April 2018