April 18, 2016 - Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii)
Requested by: @totallysevere
These small nightjars are found in dry grassy or shrubby areas of western North America. Foraging mostly at dawn, dusk, or on moonlit nights, they catch insects in the air, making short flights from the ground or a low perch. During cold weather, when the insects they feed on aren’t active, they can enter a state of torpor, dropping their body temperature and slowing their metabolism. Females lay their eggs directly on bare ground, gravel, pine needles, or dead leaves without building a structure. Both parents feed the chicks with regurgitated insects and can move either the eggs or chicks to a new nest site if they are disturbed. The down-covered chicks can move around by hopping or somersaulting.
#255
Nightjars are improbably cool. I’d never heard this one until an hour ago. It sounded adorable. 🙂
Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/173405544856.