Lesser Nighthawk vs Spotted Nightjar
Chordeiles acutipennis verglichen mit Eurostopodus argus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Merkmal | Lesser Nighthawk | Spotted Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Wissenschaftlicher Name | Chordeiles acutipennis | Eurostopodus argus |
| Ordnung | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Familie | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Erhaltungsstatus | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Länge | — | — |
| Flügelspannweite | 33,0 cm (13.0 in) | 42,7 cm (16.8 in) |
| Gewicht | 50,0 g (1.76 oz) | 102,5 g (3.62 oz) |
| Ernährung | Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub … | Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian … |
| Gelegegröße | 1-2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Gemeinsame Lebensräume
Lesser Nighthawk only
Spotted 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
Spotted Nightjar
Loud churring 'good-lord-deliver-us' repeated at dusk; melodic bubbling quality; also emits hollow 'cow-cow-cow' series and soft frog-like croaking
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.
Spotted Nightjar
Resident and partial migrant of open woodland, grassland, and scrub across mainland Australia and migrating to New Guinea and Indonesia in winter.
Erhaltungsstatus
Lesser Nighthawk
Spotted 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 …
Spotted Nightjar
Cryptically mottled grey-brown, rufous, and black with intricate vermiculations; distinctive large white spots on wing coverts; white throat patch; no white in wings or tail. Sexes similar with slight pattern …
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.
Spotted Nightjar
A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~103 g) of open woodland, spinifex grassland, and rocky ridges across mainland Australia. Intricately spotted and barred brown, grey, and buff. Cryptic by day on the ground among leaf litter. Crepuscular and nocturnal; feeds on flying insects caught in aerial pursuit. Least Concern.