The Lesser Nighthawk is a medium-sized bird that belongs to the Caprimulgidae family, commonly known as nightjars. These birds are native to North, Central and South America and they are known for their unique flying abilities.
Basic Description:
The Lesser Nighthawk has a wingspan of around 20 inches (50 cm) and weighs approximately 2 oz (56 grams). They have a dark brownish-grey plumage with fine white spots on their upperparts. The male nighthawks have white patches on their wings whereas the females do not. Their bills are short but strong, which helps them catch insects mid-flight.
Where To Find This Bird:
Lesser Nighthawks can be found in open habitats such as deserts, grasslands, forests edges, and areas near water sources. During migration season they travel long distances from southern parts of the United States down to Argentina in search of ideal breeding grounds.
Habitat:
Although these birds prefer arid regions like deserts or scrublands where there is little vegetation cover, they also inhabit other places including suburban areas such as open fields or golf courses where insect populations provide adequate food sources at night when this bird species feeds.
Food:
As nocturnal hunters during dusk and dawn periods primarily consume large amount of flying insects including beetles bugs moths flies etc., which are abundant in its habitat due to low humidity levels during summer months
Cool Facts:
1) Lesser Nighthawks rely heavily on camouflaging themselves against their surroundings by resting motionless on tree branches or rocks.
2) These birds communicate with each other using soft vocalisations consisting of whistles and chirps.
3) Their flight pattern resembles that of bats; erratic movement along with occasional hovering before swooping down suddenly to grab food.
4) Their eyesight is excellent at detecting prey even under dimly lit conditions thanks largely due an enlarged field-of-vision compared to other bird species!
