Jodi Nielson 183 Posted July 31, 2019 No ideas. Such great camo, I thought it was part of the pine branch. Last week on Pine Island in SW Florida. Thanks 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jodi Nielson 183 Posted July 31, 2019 venturing a guess....Common Nighthawk??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akandula 2,101 Posted July 31, 2019 (edited) You got it right! The Common Nighthawk is an expert at camouflage with the various colors of a tree branch. When perched, note the large head, short bill, tiny legs, and the tiny white patch on the lower wing. When flying, note the long, pointed wings with the evident white patches. During the day, they roost, and at night, they become “nighthawks” and catch flying insects. Edited July 31, 2019 by akandula Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akandula 2,101 Posted July 31, 2019 1 hour ago, akandula said: You got it right! The Common Nighthawk is an expert at camouflage with the various colors of a tree branch. When perched, note the large head, short bill, tiny legs, and the tiny white patch on the lower wing. When flying, note the long, pointed wings with the evident white patches. During the day, they roost, and at night, they become “nighthawks” and catch flying insects. Sorry, I meant to say that they forage at dawn and dusk, not at night. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jodi Nielson 183 Posted July 31, 2019 I had tried every descriptor I could think of and right after I posted this I searched for "woodland bird with horizontal chest stripes" and he popped up. Thanks for the confirmation. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Spencer 2,300 Posted July 31, 2019 Great bird! I hear their cousins, Chuck's-Poor-Wills, every summer but have yet to definitively see one. I may have seen one during the solar eclipse a couple of years ago. At least, something the approximate right size and shape cut across the tree line during totality. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akandula 2,101 Posted July 31, 2019 6 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said: Great bird! I hear their cousins, Chuck's-Poor-Wills, every summer but have yet to definitively see one. I may have seen one during the solar eclipse a couple of years ago. At least, something the approximate right size and shape cut across the tree line during totality. Do you mean the Chuck-will's-widow? Or the Eastern Whip-poor-will? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Spencer 2,300 Posted July 31, 2019 8 minutes ago, akandula said: Do you mean the Chuck-will's-widow? Or the Eastern Whip-poor-will? Oops, Chuck-Will's-Widow. I have a case of Fumble-Fingers this morning. Thanks! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akandula 2,101 Posted July 31, 2019 47 minutes ago, Jodi Nielson said: I had tried every descriptor I could think of and right after I posted this I searched for "woodland bird with horizontal chest stripes" and he popped up. Thanks for the confirmation. Yes, two of the best ID features that separate nighthawks from other nightjars while perched are the contrasty horizontal chest/belly stripes as well as the white wing patches. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
