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List by Common Name - List by Scientific Name - List by Family

Lesser nighthawk
Chordeiles acutipennis

acutipennis
Lesser nighthawk seen one March night along Pipeline Road east of Ajo, AZ. It kept flying ahead of the vehicle catching insects in the headlight beams.

Size: 9 inches
Overall Color: gray
Occurrence: widespread
Diet: insects
Nest: scrape on ground
Field Identification: white band across throat, white bands under wings close to wing tips (prominent in flight), active at dusk and dawn
Season: summer


Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Chordata (hollow nerve cord)
Subphylum: Vertebrata (backbone)
Class: Aves (Birds)
Order: Caprimulgiformes
Family: 39 Caprimulgidae (goatsuckers)
Genus: Chordeiles
Species: acutipennis

copyright © Hank Jorgensen 2007