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Antillean Nighthawk

Nightjars SilhouetteNightjars
Antillean NighthawkChordeiles gundlachii
  • ORDER: Caprimulgiformes
  • FAMILY: Caprimulgidae

Basic Description

A familiar feature of Caribbean summer evenings from the Greater Antilles and Bahamas to the Virgin Islands, the Antillean Nighthawk bounds and swoops in pursuit of flying insects, using its voluminous mouth to scoop them from the air. This habit, along with its long, thin, pointed wings, has earned the species the local name "mosquito hawk" in many areas. Large feeding flocks of this nighthawk sometimes come together over open areas, towns, and beaches on warm, cloudy days, after rain, and at dusk.

More ID Info
Range map for Antillean Nighthawk
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
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Other Names

  • Añapero Querequeté (Spanish)
  • Engoulevent piramidig (French)
  • Cool Facts