If you are outside during dawn or dusk and see an angular-winged bird moving erratically, you might be witnessing the foraging of a Common Nighthawk. Nighthawks are different than the bigger predatory hawks like Red-tailed hawks. Common Nighthawks are part of a different family and instead are insectivores. They will catch insects mid-flight and also hunt around bright lights, where insects like to gather. They are usually solitary birds and can compete against bats and other species of Nighthawks for food.
Photo by Tal Pipkin
