Indian Nightjar vs Lesser Nighthawk

Caprimulgus asiaticus مقارنةً بـ Chordeiles acutipennis

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Indian Nightjar Lesser Nighthawk
الاسم العلمي Caprimulgus asiaticus Chordeiles acutipennis
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Caprimulgidae Caprimulgidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 29,5 cm (11.6 in) 33,0 cm (13.0 in)
الوزن 43,0 g (1.52 oz) 50,0 g (1.76 oz)
النظام الغذائي Nocturnal forager on flying insects; specialises in large moths and beetles in slow aerial passes … Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub …
عدد البيض في الوضع 2 1-2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

بلا

Indian Nightjar only

بلا

Lesser Nighthawk only

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Song & Call Comparison

Indian Nightjar

الغناء

Loud 'chuck-chuck-chuck-r'; rapid hollow knocking notes accelerating into a trill; carries far across South Asian scrub; distinctive rhythm; very persistent at night

Lesser Nighthawk

الغناء

Loud purring trill; buzzy 'brrrrr' given in flight; lower and softer than Common Nighthawk; males display with booming wingbeats; calls at dusk over deserts

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Geographic Range & Migration

Indian Nightjar

Endemic to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. Resident in forest edge, savanna, and open scrub across the island including arid southern regions.

Lesser Nighthawk

Breeds in open arid scrub from southwestern USA south through Central America to western South America; winters in Mexico and northern South America.

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Indian Nightjar

Least Concern

Lesser Nighthawk

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How to Tell Them Apart

Indian Nightjar

الريش

Greyish-brown upperparts with black-centred feathers and buff freckling; white throat patch; pale supercilium; males show white primary spots and outer tail corners; underparts barred buff-brown; widespread South Asian species.

Lesser Nighthawk

الريش

Brown and buff mottled above; buff-white below with brown barring; white throat in male; white wing bar closer to wingtip than in Common Nighthawk; buff tail band. Female with buff …

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About These Birds

Indian Nightjar

A small nightjar (21-24 cm) widespread across the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Sandy-grey plumage with a distinctive white throat patch and wing spots. Inhabits open scrub, farmland, and gardens. Nocturnal insectivore with a distinctive chuck-chuck-chuck call.

Lesser Nighthawk

A small Caprimulgidae nighthawk (~50 g) of deserts, semi-arid scrub, and open woodland from the southwestern United States to Peru and Brazil. Brown-and-buff patterned; males have a white throat bar. Low, buoyant flight close to the ground at dusk. Hunts insects aerially. Migratory; Least Concern.

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