The Common nighthawk is a migrant to Oregon with one of the longest migration distances of any North American bird. It is also one of the last to arrive in Oregon. Long, slender wings are marked by a white patch on the "hand" visible in flight from great distances. When perched on the ground, the cryptic brown, gray, and black mottling makes the bird almost invisible.

This bird breeds and migrates at all elevations through the state. Its nesting habitat is characterized by open landscapes with little ground cover and is most abundant in sagebrush and rocky scablands and rimrock habitats of eastern Oregon.

The Common nighthawk is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Columbia Plateau, Klamath Mountains, and Willamette Valley ecoregions.

Hear the call of the Common nighthawk

Photo by Nick Myatt, ODFW