Vandana Chaudhy, age 10, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, for her question:

 IS THE OWL THE ONLY NIGHT BIRD?

The owl certainly is the most famous of the night birds. But he is not the only one. The nighthawk does most of his hunting after dark and the night heron may be active day and night. The nightingale does his best singing in the hours before midnight. Many ground nesting birds feel safer when they hide by day and venture forth to feed in the dim light before dawn and after sunset.

It is true that the daytime birds far outnumber the night birds. But this pattern is often reversed during migration. Ducks, geese and many other waterfowl often migrate by day or night.    Many of the small insect eating birds migrate by night and stop off to rest and feed during the day. What's more, many nesting birds often are restless at night. For example, the mockingbird wakes up on moonlit nights to sing his most beautiful songs.