Nighthawks

Last evening, I witnessed a flyover of the most nighthawks I have seen assembled in perhaps twenty years. Something near a dozen of them came veering by as Desiree sat in the hot tub. The nighthawk birds found in Montana, known as the Common Nighthawk, exhibit fascinating characteristics. They are primarily crepuscular and nocturnal, meaning they are most active during dawn and dusk, making them a remarkable sight during those twilight hours.

Nighthawks are known for their extraordinary migratory habits. During the breeding season, they can be found nesting in Montana's open landscapes and grasslands. However, as summer draws to a close, they embark on their impressive southward migration to warmer regions in Central and South America for the winter. This migratory journey often spans thousands of miles.

Nighthawks are insectivores and primarily feed on flying insects like moths, beetles, and flying ants. These birds have a unique and mesmerizing hunting technique: they fly with acrobatic grace, performing aerial dives and loops to catch their prey in mid-air. One of the most remarkable behaviors of the Common Nighthawk is its habit of "plunging" or performing a "booming" display. This is a unique courtship behavior typically observed in males during the breeding season.

As part of their elaborate mating ritual, male nighthawks ascend to a considerable height in the sky, often hundreds of feet above the ground. They then suddenly and dramatically tuck in their wings, effectively entering a free-fall or plunge towards the earth. As they descend, the air rushing through their wing feathers creates a distinctive booming or "booming" sound. This sound is created by a combination of wing shape, wing loading, and air pressure during the dive, and it is one of the characteristic sounds of summer evenings in areas where nighthawks are present.

—Mitchell Hegman

Image: Wikipedia