Habitat Selection of Common Nighthawks in the Arapahoe National Forest
Category: Research Poster
Author(s): Grace Erikson
Presenter(s): Grace Erikson
The Common Nighthawk is one of the many bird species that has been in steady global decline, since 1966 their population has decreased by around 48%. Although studied in urban environments, there is currently little knowledge of Nighthawk activity in their forest habitat. By understanding how nighthawk vocal activity varies in the Arapahoe National Forest, behaviors and habitat preference can become clear, and conservation efforts can begin. In this study, autonomous recording units (ARU) were deployed throughout the Arapahoe National Forest by The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies; the resulting acoustic data for thirteen locations were processed. Recordings from June 5th-July 23rd, 2025, were examined for Nighthawks calls using the Kaleidoscope software from Wildlife Acoustics. This information was then analyzed with the parameters of distance from water source, land cover, slope and canopy closure. It is hypothesized that Common Nighthawks will call more frequently closer to water sources, in coniferous forests, with lower canopy cover, and slope 20% or less. Preliminary results demonstrate more frequent calls near water, and in evergreen forest. More studies will need to be done to fully understand what habitats are most preferred and should encompass an annual cycle to understand how habitat needs change.