Lesser Nighthawk vs Common Poorwill

Chordeiles acutipennis comparado com Phalaenoptilus nuttallii

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Atributo Lesser Nighthawk Common Poorwill
Nome científico Chordeiles acutipennis Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
Ordem Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Família Caprimulgidae Caprimulgidae
Estado de conservação Least Concern Least Concern
Comprimento
Envergadura 33,0 cm (13.0 in) 28,8 cm (11.3 in)
Peso 50,0 g (1.76 oz) 46,45 g (1.64 oz)
Dieta Hawks small flying insects at dusk and dawn over North and South American arid scrub … Catches moths, beetles, and flying insects on short sallies near ground; only bird known to …
Tamanho da postura 1-2 2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partilhados

Lesser Nighthawk only

Common Poorwill only

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Song & Call Comparison

Lesser Nighthawk

Canto

Loud purring trill; buzzy 'brrrrr' given in flight; lower and softer than Common Nighthawk; males display with booming wingbeats; calls at dusk over deserts

Common Poorwill

Canto

Clear, whistled 'poor-WILL' with burry quality; sometimes 'poor-will-ip'; carries well across desert scrub; may call thousands of times in a night; males very persistent

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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.

Common Poorwill

Resident of arid scrub, sagebrush, and chaparral in western North America from British Columbia south to central Mexico; only hibernating bird.

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Estado de conservação

Least Concern

Lesser Nighthawk

Least Concern

Common Poorwill

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How to Tell Them Apart

Lesser Nighthawk

Plumagem

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 …

Common Poorwill

Plumagem

Grey-brown and buff mottled with dark vermiculations; white throat patch bordered by dark collar; pale buff and dark barred underparts; white tips on outer tail feathers; no white wing patches; …

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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.

Common Poorwill

A small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~46 g) of arid shrubland and rocky desert from southwestern Canada to central Mexico. The only bird known to enter true torpor for extended periods (weeks) as a winter survival strategy. Cryptic grey-brown plumage. Feeds on moths and beetles at night. Least Concern.

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