Bird name:

Antillean Nighthawk

Chordeiles gundlachii

Order

CAPRIMULGIFORMES

Family

Nighthawks and Nightjars (Caprimulgidae)

Code 4

ANNI

Code 6

CHOGUN

ITIS

177992

Breeding Location:

Open landscapes

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Rare to uncommon

Egg Color:

White to olive, heavily marked with dark olive

Number of Eggs:

1 - 2

Incubation Days:

19 - 20

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Leaves

Migration:

Migratory

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

General

Antillean Nighthawk: Large nightjar, buff to pale cinnamon-brown overall with fine, dark bars and conspicuous white throat. White patches on long, pointed wings are visible in flight. Tail is long and slightly notched with white subterminal tail band. Bill is tiny and bordered with bristles. Female and juvenile lack white tail band.

Range and Habitat

Antillean Nighthawk: Breeds in the Florida Keys, wandering further north during the summer; accidental visitor as far west as Louisiana and as far north as the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Probably winters in South America. Also occurs in West Indies. Prefers open and semi-open areas, including pastures, fields, savannas, and pine barrens.

Breeding and Nesting

Antillean Nighthawk: One or two white to olive eggs, heavily marked with dark olive, are laid among leaves, sand, or gravel, in a scrape on the ground. Incubation ranges from 19 to 20 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Antillean Nighthawk: Catches insects in the air, assisted by bristles surrounding mouth.

Vocalization

Antillean Nighthawk: Call is "pity-pit-pit" or "kady-dit, kady-dit, kady-dit."

Similar Species

Antillean Nighthawk: Common Nighthawk is larger, has longer wings, and different call.

Percevia^® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Percevia field guides, database and search protocol patent pending.

The best bird guide and bird watching search engine to identify birds!

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.

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