Common nighthawks, with their camouflaging coloration, tend to be easier to hear than to see thanks to their loud, nasal call.
When spotted, it’s usually in flight. The bird’s bounding, erratic flight and angular wings are distinct, according to Audubon.
Nevertheless, one lucky wildlife technician photographically captured a common nighthawk perched on a sunny rock during Audubon Rockies’ 2024 bird monitoring of Colorado and Wyoming ranches.
Bird activity and sightings on Audubon-certified bird-friendly ranches stretching across eastern Colorado and north-central Wyoming soared higher in 2024 than any other monitoring year, with a total of 134 reported bird species.
To be certified “bird-friendly,” ranches protect grassland bird habitat.
The pictured common nighthawk was one of almost 12,000 individual birds documented.
This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
