Lesser Nighthawk vs White-tailed Nightjar

Chordeiles acutipennis verglichen mit Hydropsalis cayennensis

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Lesser Nighthawk White-tailed Nightjar
Wissenschaftlicher Name Chordeiles acutipennis Hydropsalis cayennensis
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Caprimulgidae Caprimulgidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 33,0 cm (13.0 in) 27,3 cm (10.7 in)
Gewicht 50,0 g (1.76 oz) 35,75 g (1.26 oz)
Ernährung Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub … Aerial insectivore; catches moths, beetles, and flying insects at night over South American open and …
Gelegegröße 1-2 2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

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Lesser Nighthawk only

White-tailed Nightjar 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

White-tailed Nightjar

Gesang

Rapid, whirring trill; 'churrrr' repeated with nasal quality; calls from open savanna and grassland at dusk; alarm a sharp bark; males display low over ground

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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.

White-tailed Nightjar

Resident of open savanna and forest edge from Costa Rica through Colombia and Venezuela to the Guianas and northern Brazil; also Caribbean islands.

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Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Lesser Nighthawk

Least Concern

White-tailed Nightjar

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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 …

White-tailed Nightjar

Gefieder

Male brown and grey mottled; white outer tail feathers diagnostic; white throat; small white wing spots; female has buff outer tail feathers and lacks white wing spots; scrubby savanna habitats.

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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.

White-tailed Nightjar

A small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~36 g) of open grassland, coastal savanna, and dry scrub from Panama through northern South America to Trinidad. Males show conspicuous white outer tail feathers. Roosts on bare ground or low branches by day. Feeds on insects at dusk. Adaptable to lightly degraded habitat; Least Concern.

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