Lesser Nighthawk vs Spot-tailed Nightjar

Chordeiles acutipennis مقارنةً بـ Hydropsalis maculicaudus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Lesser Nighthawk Spot-tailed Nightjar
الاسم العلمي Chordeiles acutipennis Hydropsalis maculicaudus
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Caprimulgidae Caprimulgidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 33,0 cm (13.0 in) 25,8 cm (10.2 in)
الوزن 50,0 g (1.76 oz) 32,125 g (1.13 oz)
النظام الغذائي Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub … Catches flying insects in nocturnal aerial pursuit over Central and South American grassland.
عدد البيض في الوضع 1-2 1-2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

بلا

Lesser Nighthawk only

Spot-tailed Nightjar only

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Song & Call Comparison

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

Spot-tailed Nightjar

الغناء

Soft, rhythmic churring; gentle 'trrr-trrr' from humid grassland; calls low from ground; quieter than most nightjars; alarm a subtle 'chek'; small and inconspicuous

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Geographic Range & Migration

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.

Spot-tailed Nightjar

Resident of open cerrado, scrub, and forest edge in interior South America from Venezuela and the Guianas south to Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Lesser Nighthawk

Least Concern

Spot-tailed Nightjar

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How to Tell Them Apart

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 …

Spot-tailed Nightjar

الريش

Small; brown and buff mottled above; pale buff below with dark barring; white throat in male; distinctive white spots on rounded tail distinguishing it from similar Hydropsalis; buff throat in …

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About These Birds

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.

Spot-tailed Nightjar

A very small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~32 g) of open cerrado, llanos, and grass savanna in Central America and tropical South America. Named for white spots on the outer tail. Extremely secretive; roosts on the ground. Feeds on tiny insects at dusk and dawn. Less vocal than related species; Least Concern.

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