![]() ![]() You can also find Barn Owls nesting in tree cavities along river banks, as well as in artificial structures like barns, bridges, tunnels, and church steeples. They have a uniquely great ability to detect the location of prey by sound alone. Typically, Barn Owls hunt at night over open fields, catching mice and other small prey using their excellent eyesight and auditory location system. They’re small, weighing just about a pound, and can be recognized by their heart-shaped faces. ![]() Barn Owlīarn Owls make several sounds at night, including barks, hisses, and clicks. You’ll often find Common Nighthawks near light sources at night, taking advantage of the many insects that swarm around lights. They mainly forage at dusk and dawn, although they have been seen foraging during the day and the middle of the night from time to time, especially when there’s plenty of light. Additionally, these birds make a loud booming noise with their wings when they dive.Ĭommon Nighthawks feed mostly on insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, moths, termites, and ants. ![]() Its flight pattern is erratic, and its displays often highlight the angular shape of its wings. Two of the easiest ways to identify a Common Nighthawk are by sound and by flight pattern.Ī Common Nighthawk’s call sounds nasal, sounding something like a repeating “peent.” They live in the open country, including forest clearings, prairies, farmland, and suburban areas.Īlthough they have been declining in North America in recent years, they remain common nighttime guests in Virginia, especially during the breeding season. Like the Chuck-will’s-widow, the Common Nighthawk is a nightjar. You can recognize Chuck-will’s-widows by their sound, a call that starts with a “chuck” followed by a “Chuck-will’s-widow” sound. Only occasionally do they eat birds, and when they do, they are typically small birds like Cape May Warblers and Carolina Wrens. Their most common prey are beetles, moths, and dragonflies. These birds are active at night and fly low over the ground at dusk to find insects, bats, and small birds to eat. Typically, you can find them in pine, oak, and hickory forests in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. While the Chuck-will’s-widow is the largest nightjar in North America, it can be difficult to spot due to how well their brown plumage blends in with the forests where they live. However, they live in Central and South America for the rest of the year. Specifically, the Chuck-will’s-widow can be found in the southern United States, including Virginia, during the breeding season. ![]() The Chuck-will’s-widow is a nightjar, a type of brown nocturnal bird native to the Americas. Parents make guttural notes and a “woc-a-woc” call when approaching a nest with food. Male Black-crowned Night-Herons will also make a “plup” sound similar to a hiss to attract a female. You can recognize a Black-crowned Night Heron by its loud “Kwok!” noise heard at night. They live together with other birds in colonies to breed but forage alone. They also live in most of South and Central America year-round and in most of the United States during the breeding season.īlack-crowned Night-Herons live across the Americas, Africa, and Eurasia, making their home in wetland areas. The Black-crowned Night-Heron is a migrating nocturnal bird that makes its home in Virginia year-round, living mostly along the coast but traveling inland during the breeding season. ![]()
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