Are Nighthawks Really Hawks?

The powerful booming noises made by the Common Nighthawk during courting dives, along with its irregular flying pattern reminiscent to that of a bat, have led to the bird being referred to informally as a "bullbat." The bird is not completely nocturnal—it is active at dawn and dusk—nor is it closely related to the other nighthawk species, which gives the term "nighthawk" a bit of a misleading connotation.