 POORWILLS
a.k.a "Nightjars"
resemble owls and many rescue calls concerning an injured
owl is actually a poorwill that is resting during the day.
Always ask if the bird is sitting in a vertical position or
horizontal. Poorwills have a huge, frog-like mouth
that can be intimidating but their bite is only as hard as
two butterfly wings coming together.
They are obligate
insectivore...that means they eat nothing but insects. Dip
mealworms, crickets, moths in avian vitamins and plain
yogurt to feed them. This takes incredible patience as they
spit out almost everything. Call a
rehabber
right away.
LESSER
NIGHTHAWKS
a.k.a. Goat Suckers are commonly confused with
Poorwills. The Nighthawk
spends the day resting on a perch or nesting on the ground;
during the late afternoon it begins to swoop like a slow
swallow while catching flying insects with its wide mouth.
They are easier to feed then Poorwills, as our Director of
Operations Gloria and Pale Halesworth found out when a pair
of these hatchlings were dropped off. They found when
approached with food, the hatchlings would raise their tiny
wings and run toward the meal. The entree on the menu was
crickets, wax and white mealworms supplemented with
Mac-Diet. (YUMMY!) Once full, unlike other species, they
would stop begging. |
than other orphaned birds. Finely chopped hard boiled egg, alfalfa
sprouts or broccoli florets (also finely chopped) are temporary foods.
Quail will also peck at turkey or chick starter from a feed store, and
tiny mealworms. 
THE
WHITE-THROATED SWIFT is the most common swift in the western
U.S, and reputedly the fastest
