An acrobatic aerial insectivore that takes to dusk and dawn skies over Woodline Ranch, performing sweeping maneuvers to capture flying beetles and moths.
Field Identification: Long pointed wings with a bold white bar across the primary feathers. Cryptic mottled grey-brown plumage providing complete camouflage on oak limbs.
Texas & Hill Country Notes: During courtship, males dive steeply from high altitudes, pulling up sharply to create a booming acoustic sound caused by wind vibrating through their wing feathers. Despite their name, Nighthawks are not hawks at all, but nocturnal nightjars equipped with enormous wide mouths ringed with sensory bristles.
