Freckled Nightjar vs Lesser Nighthawk

Caprimulgus tristigma verglichen mit Chordeiles acutipennis

Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Freckled Nightjar Lesser Nighthawk
Wissenschaftlicher Name Caprimulgus tristigma Chordeiles acutipennis
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Caprimulgidae Caprimulgidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge — —
Flügelspannweite 34,4 cm (13.5 in) 33,0 cm (13.0 in)
Gewicht 79,88333333333334 g (2.82 oz) 50,0 g (1.76 oz)
Ernährung -- Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub …
Gelegegröße 2 1-2
Population Trend — —

Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

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Freckled Nightjar only

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Lesser Nighthawk only

Song & Call Comparison

Freckled Nightjar

Gesang

Loud, dog-like 'bow-wow' or 'woof-woof'; unusual barking call for a nightjar; carries across rocky African outcrops; alarm a sharp 'chek'; distinctive among all nightjars

Lesser Nighthawk

Gesang

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

Freckled Nightjar

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.

Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Freckled Nightjar

Least Concern

Lesser Nighthawk

How to Tell Them Apart

Freckled Nightjar

Gefieder

Heavily freckled dark grey and black upperparts resembling granite surfaces; whitish throat patch; underparts densely barred dark and pale; uniquely dark stone-coloured cryptic plumage adapted to rocky outcrops in Africa.

Lesser Nighthawk

Gefieder

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

Freckled Nightjar

A medium-sized nightjar (25-28 cm) found on rocky outcrops and boulder-strewn hillsides across sub-Saharan Africa. Distinctively speckled grey and brown plumage resembling lichen-covered rock. Crepuscular and nocturnal insectivore. Resident, with one of the most camouflaged plumages among nightjars.

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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