By Kristy McCaffrey
Nighthawks are a member of the nightjar family, with large eyes, brown and gray coloring, and resemble swallow-like birds, sailing and diving as they fly. They're misnamed as they’re neither nocturnal—they’re active at dawn and dusk—nor are they closely related to hawks.
They have long pointed wings and medium-long tails, but the
most striking feature is their small bill, which is barely visible at the tip
of their mouth. They feed by flying with their mouth open, swallowing prey
whole, and feed on thousands of insects every night.
They were called goatsuckers because of the myth that they used their wide mouths to suckle goats directly from the udders, drinking the milk to sustain themselves. It was thought the goat would stop producing milk and go blind.
Fossils of nighthawks have been found as far back as 400,000 years ago during the late Pleistocene. A group of nighthawks is called a kettle.
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Don’t miss my new western coming July 2024.
Pre-order THE NIGHTHAWK now.
Sophie Ryan’s dream of working for a newspaper has come true. Accompanied by her cousin, Lucas Blackmore, a newly appointed U.S. Deputy Marshal, she arrives in Jerome, one of the richest mining towns in America. And one of the most remote. Although she’s been hired to report for the Jerome Mining News on education and cultural issues, she soon finds herself immersed in something more serious when she finds an enigmatic injured man in the Black Hills claiming to be an ornithologist.
U.S. Deputy Marshal Benton McKay is undercover tracking the notorious train robbing Weaver gang, and the trail ends in Jerome. When he’s injured in the Black Hills and found by a determined and beautiful young woman, he must gain her trust to keep his identity a secret. But keeping her out of trouble proves a challenge, especially with her cousin assigned to assist him. As they track down the band of outlaws, another agenda emerges—the renegades are searching for lost gold believed to have been left behind by the Spanish Conquistadors. And Sophie Ryan is determined to report on it.
Come along with Sophie and McKay as they find adventure, mystery, and love.
Sophie is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.
Pre-order at
Will also be available at Kobo, Google Play, and in paperback.
3 comments:
Congrats on your upcoming release, Kristy! Love the nighthawk.
Congrats, Kristy, on the upcoming release. Such a fun post about the nighthawk!
Julie and Shanna,
Thanks so much!! xx
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