Most birds are heard singing in the morning, which is the time when many are the most vocal. However, there are some species which provide their song after dark, and by listening to these bird songs during the night can be a uniquely delightful or at times, quiet eerie.

Why do some birds species sing at night? The answer is that there are a few species which are known to be nocturnal and are only awake and active after dark. It is after dark when they chirp, sing, and hunt for their food.

Too, there are other birds which are typically active during the day but will vocalize into the night in their search for a mate. In both of the above cases, the night time holds specific advantages for their night time activity. The primary advantage is that ambient sounds are minimal at night but also, there is less competition, specifically, vocally from other birds.

Nocturnal birds are night time hunters and feed on night-flying bugs, either by coursing or by making flycatcher-like sallies from a perch or the ground. The primarily time to see nocturnal birds are during twilight on by moonlight.

Within the continents of the Americas, (AMS) ¹ there is found a genus of nightjars of the designation Antrostomus, consisting of medium size nightjars which were formerly included in the genus Caprimulgus.

The genus known as Caprimulgus are found in Africa Europe, Australia and Asia. These nocturnal birds, like other nightjars usually nest on the ground. They are mostly active in the late evening and early morning or at night, and feed predominantly on moths and other large flying insects.

The sub-family Eurostopodinae are called eared nightjars, which are a small group of nocturnal birds in the nightjar family Caprimulgidae. These nightjars are mainly found in forest and scrublands from China to Australia.

These nightjars are long winged birds with plumage patterned with grey and brown to camouflage them when on the ground. They feed on insects caught in flight. A single white egg is laid directly on the ground and incubated by both adults.

World-wide, there are 254 species of owl distributed among 25 genera and within two families. There are 234 species in the family Strigidae and another 20 species are in the family Tytonidae.

There are at least nineteen, possibly twenty species of owls which are found in North America. The following is what I have found to be those in North America.