Lesser Nighthawk vs Sickle-winged Nightjar
Chordeiles acutipennis compared with Eleothreptus anomalus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Lesser Nighthawk | Sickle-winged Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Chordeiles acutipennis | Eleothreptus anomalus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 33.0 cm (13.0 in) | 25.8 cm (10.2 in) |
| Weight | 50.0 g (1.76 oz) | 43.7 g (1.54 oz) |
| Diet | Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub … | Aerial insectivore; hawks moths and beetles at night over South American wet grassland and marshes. |
| Clutch Size | 1-2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
None
Lesser Nighthawk only
Sickle-winged Nightjar only
Song & Call Comparison
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
Sickle-winged Nightjar
Soft churring call; low-pitched, repetitive trill from grassland; males produce distinctive wing noise in display flight; vocalizations quiet compared to wing sounds
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.
Sickle-winged Nightjar
Resident of open marshland, wet grassland, and savanna from Paraguay and adjacent Bolivia south to Uruguay and northeastern Argentina.
Conservation Status
Lesser Nighthawk
Sickle-winged Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
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 …
Sickle-winged Nightjar
Male with extraordinarily elongated sickle-shaped outer primaries; dark brown with buff mottling; white throat and wing spots. Female brown with buff spots; normal wing shape; male wing shape unique among …
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.
Sickle-winged Nightjar
A small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~44 g) of wet pampa grassland and marshes in southeastern South America. Males possess uniquely curved primary feathers creating a sickle-wing silhouette in flight. Inhabits dense grass over moist soils. Feeds on insects at dusk. Vulnerable from grassland drainage and conversion to cropland.