The Common Nighthawk’s erratic, acrobatic flight style gives the bird its folk name “bullbat.” But the nighthawk is a bird, not a mammal. On long, pointed wings, this dusky hunter jerks and weaves through the air, flashing distinctive white wing patches. Unfortunately, in recent decades, the nighthawk has become a less familiar sight in many parts of town-and-country North America.

Nighthawks usually spend their days hidden, sometimes in plain view, thanks to their cryptic gray, brown, and blackish plumage and the birds’ squat, “neckless” shape. They often prove difficult to spot even while roosting quietly on a tree branch or fence post.

The name “nighthawk” is misleading, since this bird is neither strictly nocturnal nor closely related to raptors like the Red-tailed Hawk or Peregrine Falcon. If it’s not a bat and not a hawk, what is this angular, long-winged flyer?

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