Help with a NightHawk (1 Viewer)

Hope someone can help identify this nighthawk. Picture taken today at Pantanos de Villa in Lima, Peru.

These are two that were resting on the ground under a bush.

Thanks in advance,

Alejandro

Hi Alejandro
a nighthawk of some description?


I think it's just about the only option with wings that reach the tail tip...

Lesser?

Rasmus?

Tim

Hi Tim,

first time I found NightHawk at Pantanos de Villa and could not find any similiar picture on any of my books. I am not used to get this beauties nor have much information about them but found this two while walking on the arid part of this reserve.

What type of description would you like to know about this in order to ID them. I will look at the other pictures for any pattern you would like to see and hope I have it on other pictures I took.

Regards,

Alejandro

Alejandro, haven't arrived at anything yet, but like Tim I'm looking hard at an immature acutipennis (tawny primary tips).

Hi Steve,

This two pictures are from two different birds that were close together as you can see on one of the pictures I am uploading in this post. One thing that confuse me is that in all my books Lesser has some white dots on the wings and these two does not have them, but maybe is because of inmatures as you mention.

Also I am uploading two more pictures of a front view and a close-up that maybe can help you a little bit more.

Thanks for you help.

Alejandro

There's only one species of Nighthawk and one species of Nightjar in the Lima region. This is one case where the Peruvian fieldguide actually provides sufficient info for anyone to separate the two easily from these excellent photos...

I don't have the fieldguide, but here the remiges look approximately as long as the retrices. So, I guess that lets C. longirostris decussatus (which is the Nightjar to which I think Rasmus is referring) out in the cold. The only Nighthawk I have in the zone is Chordeiles acutipennis exilis. The Caprimulgids are still difficult for me, so I welcome these types of problems.

Hi Rasmus and Steve,

First time for me with this family of birds and I took a look into some pictures of the Band-winged Nightjar and of the Lesser Nighthawk and all of them look diferent from the pictures I took.

For the Nightjar all the pictures I saw have or show a white band on a complete black primaries and the bird on my pictures have black feathers with brown border, maybe I am wrong on what I am looking at and any help would be much appreciated.

For the NightHawk all the pictures I saw have two rows of white dots on the wings when closed and the ones on my pictures does not have them, so this two are not NightHawk.

Any information on how to differientiate this two species would be of great help for the future and as always would be apprecited.

Regards,

Alejandro

BirdsPeru said:

Any information on how to differientiate this two species would be of great help for the future and as always would be apprecited.

Click to expand...

There are several, but one that can be used without much practice is presence/absence of buff nuchal collar (as mentioned in the Peruvian fieldguide)...

Hi Rasmus,

Based on the nuchal collar you mention I will dare to say that this is a Lesser Nighthawk. Maybe I am wrong and would like you confirmation or correction.

Alejandro

Alejandro, yes we are saying it is a Lesser Nighthawk.

This from HBW (for Chordeiles acutipennis):

Descriptive notes.

19-23cm; male 34-62g, female 34-64 g. Sexually dimorphic; at rest , wing-tips reach tip of tail. Crown generally blackish-brown, rest of upperparts brownish, speckled greyish-white and boldly spotted blackish-brown; indistinct buffish or greyish-white nuchal collar; wing-coverts brownish, speckled greyish-white and greyish-brown, speckled and spotted buff, lower marginal coverts often white; scapulars blackish-brown, broadly bordered buff on outer webs; throat patch white (male) or buffish (female); underparts brownish, speckled and spotted greyish-white, cinnamon, tawny and buff, becoming buff barred brown on belly and flanks. Male has white band across four outermost primaries and narrow white subterminal band across all but central pair of tail feathers; female has buffish or buffish-white wing-band and lacks white on tail. In flight both sexes show wing-band becoming narrower towards trailing edge of wing, with inner primaries above band spotted buffish. Iris dark brown, bill blackish, legs and feet brownish or greyish. Immature grey or buffier than adult, with primaries and secondaries tipped greyish-white or tawny.


I view your bird as being immature.

Thanks a lot for all of you for the help.

Now if this two birds are immature so the adults must be around there? I will take a new look into this place this weekend and try to find the adults if possible.

Best Regards,

Alejandro