Deeann Darling, age 11, of Cumberland, Md., for her question:

WHAT KIND OF HAWK IS A NIGHTHAWK?

The nighthawk is a bird that looks very much like the whippoorwill, to which it is related. But, strange as it may seem, the nighthawk is definitely not a hawk.

The nighthawk is about 10 inches long and has mixed black, white and buff plumage. It also has a white throat patch. It has a white bar on each wing.

Sometimes the nighthawk is called a bullbat or a mosquito hawk.

Soon after the sun sets, the nighthawk flies high to look for insects. As the name suggests, it comes out to hunt after the day has come to an end.

The nighthawk breeds throughout most of the United States and Canada. In winter, the bird is found in South America.

The female nighthawk lays two speckled eggs on the ground or on gravel rooftops.

The nighthawk belongs to the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae. The eastern nighthawk is genus Chordeiles, species C. minor.