The top trending animal on Google for the Evansville area only comes out at night, and chances are, you might not have even heard of it.

Google just released its year-end trends. The local year in search for the Evansville area in 2022 revealed quite a few interesting things. Some of these trends that Google found include:

  • The Evansville, IN area was the only place in the U.S. that had libraries in its top trending “near me” searches.
  • The Evansville, IN area was the only place in the country that had travel agent in its top trending “near me” searches.
  • The area’s top trending recipe? protein balls — and Evansville was the only place in the U.S. with it in the top spot.

While these search trends in Evansville are rather...unique, there was one trend that made me say "what in the world is that?!"

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Evansville Area's Top Trending Animal on Google for 2022

So, we all know about the various types of animals we might come across in the Evansville area. It's pretty standard, really. However, the top trending animal on Google for the Evansville area this year is one that you might not have seen or even heard of before...the nightjar.

What is a Nightjar?

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. These birds usually nest on the ground, with a habit of resting and roosting on roads, and their primary source of food is insects. Oh, and it's kind of camouflage too!

Are There Night Jars in Indiana?

While I admit, I have never heard of a nightjar before, just like many others who might be reading this, I have heard of one of the types of nightjars found in Indiana. There are three types of nightjars that have been recorded in Indiana, according to Indiana DNR:

  • Common Nighthawk
  • Chuck-will's-widow
  • Eastern Whip-poor-will

Now, I'm sure that we all have heard of a Whip-poor-will before. That's what made me say "Ohhh...that's what a nightjar is!" You've heard these birds mentioned in several songs, including Randy Travis' hit song "Deeper Than The Holler".

I'm still not 100% sure why the nightjar was the most searched animal in this area, but hey, at least I learned something today. You can check out Google's full Local Year in Search for the Evansville area, and maybe learn a cool thing or two yourself, by clicking here.

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