Common Nighthawk

Photo © by geomorph
Near Heber City, Utah, USA, September 2003

Chordeiles minor

Identification

At rest, wingtips are usually longer than the tail; the tips are pointed, with outermost primary longer than the rest. In flight, the flight feathers are blackish-brown, with a white bar across the outer five primaries, narrower in female than male; at rest, if the band is visible, it will be staggered, even toothed, and at the same length as tertial tips. A white crescent on the throat is wider an whiter in male compared to female, and the female is lacking a white subterminal bar on the tail. Both sexes are mostly cryptic with black, pale gray, and buffish to cinnamon on upperside, but pale gray to grayish-buff on underside.

Females are grey, though occasionally a rufous form is found.

Similar Species

Common Nighthawk is very similar to Antillean Nighthawk; a thread discussing the differences is found under References.

Distribution

North, Central and South America

All subspecies are migrants wintering (as far as this is known) in South America. For example, birds from Alberta, Canada migrated through the Caribbean to Amazonian and Cerrado areas in Brazil.

Taxonomy

Until recently this species was considered conspecific with Antillean Nighthawk.

Subspecies

There are 8 subspecies^[1]:

• C. m. minor:

• Central and southern Canada to northern and north-eastern US; winters to northern Argentina

• C. m. hesperis:

• South-western Canada and western US; winters northern South America

• C. m. sennetti:

• South-central Canada and north-central US ; winters to South America

• C. m. howelli:

• West-central and south-central US; winters to South America

• C. m. henryi:

• South-western US and north-central Mexico; winters to Colombia

• C. m. aserriensis:

• South-central US to extreme northern Mexico (northern Tamaulipas)

• C. m. chapmani:

• South-eastern US; winters to Argentina

• C. m. neotropicalis:

• Breeds eastern and southern Mexico (Tamaulipas south to central Guerrero and to Chiapas); winter range undocumented, presumably Amazonia

• C. m. panamensis:

• Eastern Honduras, Belize and Nicaragua to Panama; winters to South America

Three additional subspecies divisus, twomeyi and neotropicalis are not generally recognised^[2].

Habitat

Open woodlands, suburbs, towns, with nests sometimes on flat, gravel-covered roofs.

Behaviour

More likely to be seen in daylight than most other nightjars.

Breeding

The 2 eggs are laid directly on bare ground and are incubated by the female for about 20 days. The young fledge at about 20 days.

Diet

The diet includes insects hawked aerially.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. This is a thread discussing the difference between Antillean and Common Nighthawk
4. Wikipedia
5. A Paper discussing tracking migrating nighthawks from Alberta

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Common Nighthawk. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Common_Nighthawk

External Links

Search for photos of Common Nighthawk in the gallery