Lesser Nighthawk vs Lyre-tailed Nightjar
Chordeiles acutipennis compared with Uropsalis lyra
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Lesser Nighthawk | Lyre-tailed Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Chordeiles acutipennis | Uropsalis lyra |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 33.0 cm (13.0 in) | 35.2 cm (13.9 in) |
| Weight | 50.0 g (1.76 oz) | 71.25 g (2.51 oz) |
| Diet | Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub … | Hawks moths and flying insects at night over Andean montane forest; male's enormously long tail … |
| Clutch Size | 1-2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
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
Lyre-tailed Nightjar
Clear, melodic whistled phrase; 'wheeeoo' delivered from Andean ridges; males give repeated territorial whistle; alarm a sharp 'chek'; female call quieter and thinner
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.
Lyre-tailed Nightjar
Resident of Andean cloud forest and forest edge in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, at 1,000–2,500 m.
Conservation Status
Lesser Nighthawk
Lyre-tailed 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 …
Lyre-tailed Nightjar
Male dark brown with buff mottling; outer tail feathers massively elongated and curved outward forming lyre shape up to 60 cm; white throat. Female plain brown and buff mottled without …
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.
Lyre-tailed Nightjar
A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~71 g) of Andean cloud forests from Venezuela to Bolivia. Males bear enormously elongated outer tail feathers extending over three times the body length in a lyrate shape; females lack this ornamentation. Inhabits moist montane forest edges. Feeds on insects at night. Least Concern.