Lesser Nighthawk

Chordeiles acutipennisOrder: CAPRIMULGIFORMES Family: Nighthawks and Nightjars (Caprimulgidae)

Codes: Common Name: LENI Scientific Name: CHOACU ITIS Taxonomic No.: 177988

Head

Topo Map: Perching-like Head

Bill Shape: All-purpose
Eye Color: Brown with reflective green or red.
Head Pattern: Eyeline, Eyering (complete or broken), Spotted, Special (unique patterns or features)
Crown Color: Mottled pale gray, black, buff and red-brown.
Forehead Color: Mottled pale gray, black, buff and red-brown.
Nape Color: Mottled pale gray, black, buff and red-brown.
Throat Color: White
Cere color: No Data

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Body

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Length Range: 20-23 cm (8-9 in)
Weight: 51 g (1.8 oz)
Size: Size 2. Small (5 - 9 in)
Color: White, Brown, Black, Gray, Buff
Underparts: Dark brown with white barring.
Upperparts: Mottled pale gray, black, buff and red-brown.
Back Pattern: Mottled
Belly Pattern: Barred or banded
Breast Pattern: Spotted or speckled, Striped or streaked

Flight

Topo Map: Perching-like Flight

Flight Pattern: Darting flight on long pointed wings with erratic twists and turns and changes of direction.
Wingspan Range: 51-58 cm (20-23 in)
Wing Shape: Pointed-Wings
Tail Shape: Squared Tail
Tail Pattern: Barred
Upper Tail: Dark gray, brown and black.
Under Tail: Dark gray and white barring.
Leg Color: Pale Brown

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Lesser Nighthawk

Lesser Nighthawk: Medium-sized nightjar with gray and white mottled upperparts, white throat, and brown and white mottled underparts with dark belly bars. Wings are dark with conspicuous pale patches visible in flight. Tail is dark brown and has thin white bars across top. Darting erratic flight.

● Song: "chack, chack"

● Foraging & Feeding: Lesser Nighthawk: Diet includes small insects such as winged ants, mosquitoes, beetles, moths, and grasshoppers; forages by flying close to the ground, catching insects in the air; nocturnal, feeds late into the morning.

● Breeding & nesting: Lesser Nighthawk: Two white to gray eggs, spotted with gray, brown and lavender, are laid on the ground among small pebbles, with no nesting material used. Incubation ranges from 18 to 19 days and is carried out mostly by the female.

● Similar species: Lesser Nighthawk: Common and Antillean nighthawks have white patches closer to the bend of the wings.

Flight Pattern

Darting flight on long pointed wings with erratic twists and turns and changes of direction.

● Range & Habitat: Lesser Nighthawk: Uncommon in parts of California and Nevada, more common in southern New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. Prefers large open areas, including arid and semi-arid lowlands.

^BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies

^PopulationFairly common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.8 Ounces

Perching-like Head

Perching-like Body

Perching-like Flight

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America