Plain Nightjar vs Lesser Nighthawk
Caprimulgus inornatus comparé à Chordeiles acutipennis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | Plain Nightjar | Lesser Nighthawk |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Caprimulgus inornatus | Chordeiles acutipennis |
| Ordre | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Famille | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longueur | — | — |
| Envergure | 30,6 cm (12.0 in) | 33,0 cm (13.0 in) |
| Poids | 45,75 g (1.61 oz) | 50,0 g (1.76 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | Feeds nocturnally on moths and large beetles in erratic low-level hunting flights over tropical scrub. | Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub … |
| Taille de la couvée | 2 | 1-2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Plain Nightjar
Monotonous churring trill; steady 'churrrrr' from African savanna; calls persistently at night; plain plumage matched by relatively unvaried, repetitive song
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
Geographic Range & Migration
Plain Nightjar
Found from Ethiopia and Somalia south to Kenya and Tanzania. Resident in arid acacia scrub and dry open country. Closely related to Nubian 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.
Statut de conservation
Plain Nightjar
Lesser Nighthawk
How to Tell Them Apart
Plain Nightjar
Uniformly plain sandy-grey upperparts with minimal patterning; faint pale supercilium; small whitish throat spot; underparts pale buff with fine barring; among the least boldly marked nightjars, blending into Sahel scrubland.
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 …
About These Birds
Plain Nightjar
A small nightjar (21-23 cm) of arid and semi-arid zones across the Sahel belt of Africa, from Senegal to Somalia. Pale sandy plumage with minimal markings. Nocturnal insectivore, feeding on beetles and moths. Nomadic movements tied to seasonal rainfall patterns.
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.