nighthawk

American  

[nahyt-hawk] / ˈnaɪtˌhɔk /

noun

1. any of several longwinged, American goatsuckers of the genus Chordeiles, related to the whippoorwill, especially C. minor, having variegated black, white, and buff plumage.

2. the European goatsucker or nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus.

3. Informal. a person who is habitually up or moving about late at night; night owl.

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nighthawk British  

/ ˈnaɪtˌhɔːk /

noun

1. Also called: bullbat.   mosquito hawk.  any American nightjar of the genus Chordeiles and related genera, having a dark plumage and, in the male, white patches on the wings and tail

2. informal another name for night owl

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Etymology

Origin of nighthawk

First recorded in 1605–15; night + hawk ¹

Example Sentences

Instead of a nightwatchman, they were calling him the "nighthawk".

From BBC • Jul. 5, 2022

The qualities that make Seymour Hersh a first-rate reporter — his hustle, his wonkiness, his nighthawk drive to unearth a radioactive fact and then top that fact — make him a second-rate memoirist.

From New York Times • May 28, 2018

Nightjars, a kind of nighthawk also known as goatsuckers, sat on the roads that had been baked by the day’s sun to stay warm in the chilly night.

From Scientific American • Feb. 22, 2013

Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Observer Contrary to form, nighthawk DJ Mary Anne Hobbs won't be rolling into her new job fresh from a club, bass still ringing in her ears.

From The Guardian • Dec. 30, 2012

Owls were flying this night, shrieking to start their prey, and a nighthawk made soft rhythmic whoops in the distance.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck