AKNIGHTWAWK
New member
I thought there would be a nest full of information about Knighthawks here, but search came up with nothing.
I want to talk about Knighthawk behavior of diving at the Crepuscular time of day [sorry I just learned that Knighthawks are crepuscular birds, or nocturnal birds]. They are not in Alaska where I am from and I noticed [heard] them in the midwest. They dive to the ground from a medium hight and pull up close to the ground and the wings create noise [vortex tornados] in the diving.
Another interesting thing about the Knighthawk is that some of them sit on a branch parallel to the branch and hug the branch seemingly to camouflage themselves in the day.
My theory about Knighthawks is the dive is for bug eating. I think the dive is when they see a moth or gnat from their lofty height and swoop down and scoop up insects ramjet fashion in their short wide mouths. I assumed their main food was gnat clouds, a male mating dance to see who can fly the highest, thus a three corse meal in one fell swoop. I hear that they eat moths though, but I would bet both are welcome.
Some say the dive is about mating or driving off humans like allot of nesting birds do.
I would like to know your thoughts about this bird and will finish with a close encounter of the bird kind with a Knighthawk... I was working in a tape factory at night and the Knighthawks would gather above the factory and one night I watched one swoop down and falter and crashed on the roof; I climbed up the roof and the bird was walking wobbly on it's short legs. I picked it up and noticed it smelled funny and then realized it had flown through a exhaust duct that purged toluene from the factory and overcame it. I inspected the bird closely and noticed the odd mouth and dotted underwing and blew air at it's face. Several minutes later it came to and sat parallel on my leg and soon took off.
I want to talk about Knighthawk behavior of diving at the Crepuscular time of day [sorry I just learned that Knighthawks are crepuscular birds, or nocturnal birds]. They are not in Alaska where I am from and I noticed [heard] them in the midwest. They dive to the ground from a medium hight and pull up close to the ground and the wings create noise [vortex tornados] in the diving.
Another interesting thing about the Knighthawk is that some of them sit on a branch parallel to the branch and hug the branch seemingly to camouflage themselves in the day.
My theory about Knighthawks is the dive is for bug eating. I think the dive is when they see a moth or gnat from their lofty height and swoop down and scoop up insects ramjet fashion in their short wide mouths. I assumed their main food was gnat clouds, a male mating dance to see who can fly the highest, thus a three corse meal in one fell swoop. I hear that they eat moths though, but I would bet both are welcome.
Some say the dive is about mating or driving off humans like allot of nesting birds do.
I would like to know your thoughts about this bird and will finish with a close encounter of the bird kind with a Knighthawk... I was working in a tape factory at night and the Knighthawks would gather above the factory and one night I watched one swoop down and falter and crashed on the roof; I climbed up the roof and the bird was walking wobbly on it's short legs. I picked it up and noticed it smelled funny and then realized it had flown through a exhaust duct that purged toluene from the factory and overcame it. I inspected the bird closely and noticed the odd mouth and dotted underwing and blew air at it's face. Several minutes later it came to and sat parallel on my leg and soon took off.
