Page 6 - North Haven Magazine Issue 22 Winter 2022

by Sally Brockett

Get to Know Our Unique Mascot!

With the naming of a new mascot for the North Haven school community, it would be
good for residents to know more about the bird that represents our schools. There are
many interesting facts about these birds that will be fun to know.
Photo Credit: BirdPhotos.com
ightjars are small to large birds found around the world except in the artic areas.
NNighthawks are a North American species of nightjars, and they can be found in a
variety of habitats including deserts, grasslands, forests, and coastal sand dunes. There are two
nighthawks, the common nighthawk, with a length of 9 inches and wingspan of 23 inches, and
found throughout the U.S., and the lesser nighthawk, which is 8 inches long with a wingspan
of 21 inches, usually only found in the southwest and Central America.

Is a nighthawk really a hawk? These birds have tiny bills as it is not used for
Nighthawks are not hawks despite their name. feeding, but their eyes are large for flights in
They are predatory birds like hawks, but their limited light. They have wide, gaping mouths Typical posture of nighthawk on a branch to
prey is insects rather than small birds and to scoop up insects in flight and they have camouflage himself.
mammals. Although called nighthawks, they been called flying insect traps.
actually hunt at dusk and dawn. As the sun Unique behavior of the nighthawks. These unique structures and features of the
sets, the nighthawks awaken from their day- Unlike most birds that perch crosswise on birds do mean that they are very vulnerable
time sleep and fly above treetops and houses, a branch or wire, nighthawks often sleep to predators. The nighthawks have little de-
to get their fill of insects. They may be seen crouched lengthwise on a tree branch, so they fense and depend largely on their camouflage
in flight around bright lights which attract the blend in with the wood like a “bump on a for protection.
insects. As an evening athletic event begins log.” They also snuggle into the leaves on the
at a stadium, take a moment to observe the ground for their daytime rest. Their short legs Family life.
lights. You may see these beautiful birds hav- are rather weak and are not used for hopping, Nighthawks do not use any nesting material.
ing their in-flight meal. perching, and walking like other birds. How- They simply lay the eggs, usually two, on the
ever, they are beautiful to watch in flight up ground or on flat, gravel rooftops in the city.
to six hundred feet above ground as they use The female incubates the eggs but the male
short bursts of high speed alternately with assists with feeding the young. The parents
slow flight, glides, and swift turns to catch will perform diversion displays, pretending to
mouthfuls of insects. Their flight is erratic yet have a broken wing or other injury, to distract
graceful. They also drink in flight using their predators from the nest and young. The pop-
lower bill to skim over the water surface. ulation of nighthawks is declining in many ar-
eas due to increasing use of pesticides and the
It is interesting to note that nighthawks have increasing population of urban crows which
limited options for eating. They can only eat eat the eggs on the rooftops.
Nighthawk feigning injury and hissing to by swallowing their prey whole, in flight. In- Understanding the “wing-booms.”
protect nest. The huge mouth is obvious. jured nighthawks are very difficult to rehabil-
itate because they cannot swallow the food During a courtship display, the male night-
What is a goatsucker? offered to them. Their throat muscles appar- hawk soars, and swoops near the female, then
Nighthawks are members of the goatsucker ently weaken after leaving the nest and learn- nose-dives towards the earth while flexing
family, along with nightjars, whip-poor-wills, ing to eat in flight, so they have limited ability his white-striped wings downward. As the
and chuck-will’s widow. The name ‘goatsuck- to swallow. air rushes through the largest wing feathers,
er’ is based on an ancient belief that these a roaring sound is heard. It is called a “boom”
birds fed on the milk of goats at night. But the Photo Credit: BirdPhotos.com but sounds more like the whoosh of a car
presence of these birds near goats, and other racing past. Researchers are using this “wing-
farm animals, is likely due to the insects at- boom” to help locate bird nests well hidden
tracted to the animals. It was easy hunting for among the leaves. Although nighthawks may
the nighthawks to fly around the animals and cover an area larger than 40 square miles
scoop up the insects with their large mouths. while hunting, the wing-boom nearly always
occurs within twenty-five acres of the nest.
What does a nighthawk look like? This discovery enables the researchers to tar-
Nighthawks need excellent camouflage to get a much smaller area when searching for
protect them while they sleep during the day, the nests.
and during their hunts at dusk and dawn. In flight, the wing patches are easily
Their feathers are shades of brown or gray. visible. As we begin our experience with a new mas-
Their wings are long and pointed, with a bend cot, it will be fun to observe the bright lights
in them similar to a falcon. In flight, the white With the nighthawks flying at speeds of 12 to at the athletic fields to see if these unique
patches on the wings and tails are visible. The 23 miles an hour, the insects are scooped into birds are on the hunt for prey. North Haven
white patch on the lesser nighthawk is clos- the gaping mouth and go immediately down is now the home of both the feathered night-
er to the wing tip, while the common night- the throat to meet their death from digestive hawks and the athletic nighthawks!
hawks’ wing patch is close to the bend in the juices. There is no need to use the bill to tear
wing. apart or break up the prey.

North Haven Magazine - Winter Issue 2022
6