The Foraging Strategies of Common Nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) and Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus)

"We will attempt to answer the following question: do the constraints of being a continuously flying nocturnal aerial insectivore cause broad overlap in the foraging behavior and the resources used by the common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) and the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)?" (Brigham, 1986). To date, no qualitative comparison of the foraging behavior of sympatric species of bats and birds has been made. This report describes the methods that were used to compare these behaviors between May 10, 1986 and May 30, 1986. Since the study was not complete until the end of August 1986, the collected data is not analyzed in this report. However, a section of general trends observed to be forming is included.