Lesser Nighthawk vs Sand-colored Nighthawk

Chordeiles acutipennis verglichen mit Chordeiles rupestris

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Lesser Nighthawk Sand-colored Nighthawk
Wissenschaftlicher Name Chordeiles acutipennis Chordeiles rupestris
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Caprimulgidae Caprimulgidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 33,0 cm (13.0 in) 32,9 cm (13.0 in)
Gewicht 50,0 g (1.76 oz) 52,25 g (1.84 oz)
Ernährung Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub … Aerial insectivore; hawks insects over South American river sandbars and open areas, often in flocks.
Gelegegröße 1-2 2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

Lesser Nighthawk only

Sand-colored Nighthawk only

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Song & Call Comparison

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

Sand-colored Nighthawk

Gesang

Nasal, buzzy 'bzeent' calls; short buzzing trills; colonial roosters produce chorus of soft chirring notes; calls from sandy riverbanks at dusk

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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.

Sand-colored Nighthawk

Resident of sandy riverbanks and open savanna in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Brazil.

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Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Lesser Nighthawk

Least Concern

Sand-colored Nighthawk

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How to Tell Them Apart

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 …

Sand-colored Nighthawk

Gefieder

Pale sandy-buff overall with dark brown vermiculations; white throat and lower underparts; bold white wing bar; white tail with dark terminal band; paler coloration than other nighthawks suits sandy riverbank …

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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.

Sand-colored Nighthawk

A small Caprimulgidae nighthawk (~52 g) of open sandy riverbanks and beaches along major Amazonian and Orinoco river systems. Pale sandy and white plumage provides near-perfect camouflage on bare sand. Roosts communally on sandbanks; feeds on insects at dawn and dusk. Least Concern; common along large rivers.

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