The common nighthawk is most active at dusk and early morning, when insects are “on the wing”. Their wide mouth catches bugs in the air, feeding on mosquitoes, flying ants, caddisflies, moths and beetles. Their nearly invisible nest is placed directly on bare ground. Lovely elliptical eggs are a deep cream, heavily speckled-brown, about the size of a 50-cent piece.

The nighthawk has an appearance of a small hawk, though it is not one. It is a dark colored, fast moving bird with sharply pointed wings and a white bar below the “elbow.” In feeding and courtship, they quickly dive, with air rushing through feathers making a loud “whoooom” sound, which you hear before you see.

During migration periods common nighthawks may be seen in large groups in the Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Plain, and Winton areas. In July, look for them over wetlands or open shrubby areas of the White River and Meadow Creek, or the ridges near Mission Creek.

The nighthawk is the briefest of migratory birds, being a late migrant that could be “just passing by” or here to breed between June and early September. They winter in South America, deep into Argentina. This species is declining in the USA.