Mexican Whip-poor-will vs Lesser Nighthawk
Antrostomus arizonae compared with Chordeiles acutipennis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Mexican Whip-poor-will | Lesser Nighthawk |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Antrostomus arizonae | Chordeiles acutipennis |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 31.9 cm (12.6 in) | 33.0 cm (13.0 in) |
| Weight | 47.45 g (1.67 oz) | 50.0 g (1.76 oz) |
| Diet | Hawks moths, beetles, and flying insects at night over pine-oak forest of Mexico and SW … | Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub … |
| Clutch Size | 1-2 | 1-2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
None
Mexican Whip-poor-will only
Lesser Nighthawk only
Song & Call Comparison
Mexican Whip-poor-will
Clear 'whip-poor-WILL'; similar to Eastern but slightly higher in pitch; calls from pine-oak highlands of Mexico; burry whistled quality; repeated persistently at night
Lesser Nighthawk
Loud purring trill; buzzy 'brrrrr' given in flight; lower and softer than Common Nighthawk; males display with booming wingbeats; calls at dusk over deserts
Geographic Range & Migration
Mexican Whip-poor-will
Breeds in pine-oak highland forest in the mountains of Mexico and Central America; partially migratory at higher elevations.
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.
Conservation Status
Mexican Whip-poor-will
Lesser Nighthawk
How to Tell Them Apart
Mexican Whip-poor-will
Grey-brown and buff mottled above with dark vermiculations; white gorget in male; pale buff barred underparts; white outer tail tips in male; recently split from Eastern Whip-poor-will; slightly browner tones …
Lesser Nighthawk
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 …
About These Birds
Mexican Whip-poor-will
A medium-small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~47 g) of pine-oak forests in the mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and western Mexico. Recently split from the Eastern Whip-poor-will on morphological and vocal grounds. Calls with the same 'whip-poor-will' phrase. Feeds on moths and beetles nocturnally. Least Concern.
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.