Birds of Ecuador

    CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Caprimulgidae (Nightjars)  
Genus: Chordeiles (4 species, 6 worldwide)


Lesser Nighthawk
Lesser Nighthawk (Chordeiles acutipennis)
Porto Seguro, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Bradley Hacker   © All Rights Reserved.

Lesser Nighthawk
Lesser Nighthawk (Chordeiles acutipennis) Male
Salamanca National Park, Colombia
  Note white band on wing of male.
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Lesser Nighthawk
Lesser Nighthawk (Chordeiles acutipennis acutipennis) Female
Salamanca National Park, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

A migratory species but with a shorter path than the similar but slightly larger Common Nighthawk. White patch below wing usually visible. Thin white band on wing seen during flight is closer to tip of wing than on Common Nighthawk. Male has a white partial collar around neck in front.

Common Nighthawk
Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, Florida, United States
  Note wings extend about as far as tail.
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Common Nighthawk
Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
Modoc National Wildlife Refuge, California,  
   
Photograph by Julio Mulero     Copyright and usage info

Northern migrant. Compare to Lesser Nighthawk. White band on wing seen during flight is thinner than on Common Pauraque, and further from tip than on Lesser Nighthawk. Note white throat on male is often hidden. Often active in the day, and often hunts from the air like a swallow.
Possible female (no white throat).

Nacunda Nighthawk
Nacunda Nighthawk (Chordeiles nacunda nacunda)
Brazil
  Standing on feet a characteristic behaviour of this species.
   
Photograph by Andreas Trepte     Copyright and usage info

Nacunda Nighthawk
Nacunda Nighthawk (Chordeiles nacunda)
Brazil  
   
Photograph by Rodrigo Conte   © All Rights Reserved.

The largest nighthawk in the Americas is sometimes active during the day.

Sand-colored Nighthawk
Sand-colored Nighthawk (Chordeiles rupestris)
Ecuador  
   
Photograph by Tropical Birding (Nick Athanas)   © All Rights Reserved.

Sand-colored Nighthawk
Sand-colored Nighthawk (Chordeiles rupestris rupestris)
Peru  
   
Photograph by David Ascanio - www.abtbirds.com   © All Rights Reserved.

Sand-colored Nighthawk
Sand-colored Nighthawk (Chordeiles rupestris rupestris)
Puerto Asis, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Seen during day in large groups along major rivers resting on rocks, driftwood, or trees. Note black tip to wing feathers compared to larger Nacunda Nighthawk which has a white band that reaches end of the tail feathers.


© Tom Friedel - All Rights Reserved, except for images and data otherwise noted.       Colombia       Panama       Ecuador       Costa Rica       Mexico
Experimental sites:       Peru       Venezuela       The World       Brazil       Bolivia
Really Experimental sites:       Guyana       Cuba