Columbus Audubon thanks Laura Dornan and the Canton Audubon Society for their kind permission to republish this article.
Chordeiles, from the Greek word Chorde, meaning a stringed musical instrument, and deile, meaning afternoon or evening, describes this member of the Nightjar family, flying overhead in the evening, hunting insects drawn to street lights. Except it is not very musical. Without even looking at where
this bird is placed in the taxonomic order of birds, we know it is definitely not a songbird just by listening to it. Relaxing on my patio on a summer evening, I would hear the nasal Woodcock-like “peeent-peeent” call and look up to find a Common Nighthawk with the diagnostic white wing patch on the primaries. A perfect way to end the day. In addition to the “peent” call, males give a croaking “auk auk auk” call and females give a hissing or throaty cluck when defending the nest. Other sounds include a clap of the wings when intruders approach the nest and a booming sound the male makes by flexing his wings while diving, done during courtship or at intruders.
Knowing this was historically a bird of grasslands and pastures, nesting on gravel bars and rock outcroppings, it seemed surprising to me to find them hunting in town. Now I know that with European settlement, Common Nighthawks, which had been rare in Ohio, began to use gravel rooftops for nest sites. By the 1930s, nearly every town and city held resident nighthawks and today nighthawks nest almost entirely on rooftops, raising 2 precocial chicks.
In the 1980’s Common Nighthawks were found in most of Ohio’s 88 counties but The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds of Ohio found that nighthawks had declined by 67% between the first Atlas period (mid 1980’s) and the second Atlas period (mid 2000’s).
Nighthawks, and the other nightjar family members such as Whip-poor-will and Chuck- will’s widow, sport a cryptic pattern of grays, blacks and browns which allow them to blend in to the background as they roost on the ground or lengthwise on a branch. Twice, I have found a nighthawk because I thought a branch “looked funny”. In flight, in addition to the white wing patches, a white throat patch and white central tail feathers are also visible.
All nightjar family members have huge gaping mouths enabling them to hunt aerial insects in low light conditions. As the birds fly about with their mouths wide open, they gulp in all insects in their path. The decline in nighthawk populations may coincide with a regional decline in the abundance of flying insects, due in part to increased use of pesticides and to climate change. Another detrimental factor in nighthawk populations is replacement of pale gravel rooftops with smooth, often black tar, surfaces. Thankfully, the birds have shown they will accept gravel pads installed in the corners of non-gravel roofs as nesting sites.
As summer draws to an end, nighthawks begin their annual trek to central South America. They make this journey together in loose flocks, hunting insects as they travel over open areas. In Ohio, these migrations reach peak numbers between August 25 and September 7. Traditionally these groups have numbered 50-200 individuals but recent reports have shown less than 50. The sight of even these smaller groups of nighthawks on a late summer evening will give one quite a thrill. So, keep your eyes peeled on the evening skies this summer.
Whether you find 1 or 2 nighthawks hunting your neighborhood, or a small kettle migrating south, it will be an event worthy of your special sightings list.
Sources: Second Atlas of Breeding Birds of Ohio; American Bird Conservancy News, August 2021
DID YOU KNOW…? Common nighthawks and other members of the nightjar family (Caprimulgidae) were also known as goatsuckers due to a mid-1300’s myth that they would fly into barns at night and drink the milk from the teats of goats. This myth may have come about because nightjars were often found around fields of goats and sheep, having been drawn there by the insects attracted to the animals. OR, more likely, this ‘myth’ came about because of a translation misunderstanding of the Greek “caprimulgus” to “goat-sucker” in the early 1700’s. No evidence has been found that the legend existed, this is possible evidence that the legend did not give rise to the name, rather that the name necessitated the creation of a legend to explain it.
Source: What the Goatsucker Means, Birding Magazine, November 2021