Darren Paxton, age 10, of Summersville, W.Va., for his question:

WHAT KIND OF BIRD IS THE NIGHTHAWK?

The nighthawk, also called the bullbat and mosquito hawk, is not really a hawk at all. Actually it is a close relative of the whippoorwill and part of the order of birds called Caprimulgiformes. The common name for this group of birds is goatsuckers. This strange tag comes from the fact that at one time it was believed they would suck milk from goats. Of course we know that this is not true, but a great many people believed it for a long time.

The nighthawk is a slim winged bird about 10 inches long. Its plumage is mottled brown and gray with white wingbars, a white throat and a white stripe across the tail. At dusk the nighthawk can be seen zooming and diving to catch the insects it feeds on. Happy to report that one nighthawk can catch and eat up to 500 mosquitoes a day. When nesting time approaches, Mrs. Nighthawk is not too particular where she desposits her speckled eggs. Sometimes she lays them on the bare ground, but just as often she lays them on the graveled roof of a handy building.