Lesser Nighthawk
Chordeiles acutipennis
Also known as: Trilling Nighthawk
About This Species
A nightjar of arid and semi-arid open country across the southwestern United States and much of Latin America, active at dusk and after dark when it hawks insects in low, erratic flight over open ground. By day it rests motionless on bare earth or gravel, its cryptic mottled plumage making it almost invisible until flushed. Desert washes, scrubland and open fields at twilight are the best places to watch it hunting on the wing.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watch from a distance at dusk rather than searching for day-roosting birds on the ground, since they rely entirely on camouflage and can be trodden on before being seen.
- Migratory bird protections apply in the United States, and general wildlife disturbance laws apply through its Latin American range, though specifics vary by country.
- Avoid using bright lights or flushing roosting birds, which wastes energy they need for nocturnal foraging.
LCAvesCaprimulgiformesCaprimulgidae
Seasonal Activity
148,134 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Caprimulgidae
Photo
(c) Aaron Maizlish, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.