Lesser Nighthawk vs Eared Poorwill

Chordeiles acutipennis verglichen mit Nyctiphrynus mcleodii

Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Lesser Nighthawk Eared Poorwill
Wissenschaftlicher Name Chordeiles acutipennis Nyctiphrynus mcleodii
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Caprimulgidae Caprimulgidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge — —
Flügelspannweite 33,0 cm (13.0 in) 24,1 cm (9.5 in)
Gewicht 50,0 g (1.76 oz) 31,775 g (1.12 oz)
Ernährung Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub … Hawks small flying insects at night in Mexican pine-oak forest on Pacific slopes.
Gelegegröße 1-2 2
Population Trend — —

Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

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Lesser Nighthawk only

Eared Poorwill only

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

Eared Poorwill

Gesang

Melodic 'poor-will' whistle; soft and repetitive; calls from Mexican pine-oak forest at night; distinctive tonal quality slightly harsher than other poorwills

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.

Eared Poorwill

Resident of highland pine-oak forest and scrub in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico (Sinaloa, Durango, Nayarit), at 1,000–2,500 m.

Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Lesser Nighthawk

Least Concern

Eared Poorwill

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 …

Eared Poorwill

Gefieder

Small; brown and buff mottled with dark vermiculations; small tufted ear-like feathers above eye diagnostic; white throat in male; buff throat in female; small white outer tail spots; Mexican highland …

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.

Eared Poorwill

A small Caprimulgidae poorwill (~32 g) of pine-oak forest and wooded hillsides in the Sierra Madre Occidental of western Mexico. Named for subtle pale ear tufts. Cryptic brown-and-buff plumage; roosts on ground or branches. Nocturnal insectivore. Rarely seen but detected by its repeated whistled calls. Least Concern.

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