Lesser Nighthawk vs Spotted Nightjar

Chordeiles acutipennis comparé à Eurostopodus argus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Lesser Nighthawk Spotted Nightjar
Nom scientifique Chordeiles acutipennis Eurostopodus argus
Ordre Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Famille Caprimulgidae Caprimulgidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 33,0 cm (13.0 in) 42,7 cm (16.8 in)
Poids 50,0 g (1.76 oz) 102,5 g (3.62 oz)
Régime alimentaire 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 …
Taille de la couvée 1-2 1
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Lesser Nighthawk only

Spotted Nightjar only

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Song & Call Comparison

Lesser Nighthawk

Chant

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

Chant

Loud churring 'good-lord-deliver-us' repeated at dusk; melodic bubbling quality; also emits hollow 'cow-cow-cow' series and soft frog-like croaking

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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.

Spotted Nightjar

Resident and partial migrant of open woodland, grassland, and scrub across mainland Australia and migrating to New Guinea and Indonesia in winter.

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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Lesser Nighthawk

Least Concern

Spotted Nightjar

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How to Tell Them Apart

Lesser Nighthawk

Plumage

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

Plumage

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 …

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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.

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.

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