The Nighthawk

The Nighthawk is a nocturnal bird, which almost

The Nighthawk, photo taken Carol Pollard's Wings on the Web

resembles a large swallow, as they share the same style of wings, tails, and bills. Though they prefer the night, the Nighthawk can be spotted the odd time at midday. They are often seen high in the air flying with easy stokes, almost like a hawk. Some people confuse them with bats, since they come out at night and fly quite rapidly. During the day they can be found resting horizontally on the limbs of trees, or on the ground camouflaged by their dead-leaf-patterned wings. They are most easily identified at night by their call, which is a nasally peent, or pee-ik. They are most often spotted flying over head, but can also be seen in or near open pine woods sitting on posts, rails, roofs, or on the ground.