Lesser Nighthawk
Lesser NighthawkLesser NighthawkLesser NighthawkLesser Nighthawk

Lesser Nighthawk

Chordeiles acutipennis

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Antonio

In 3 days <5%

48 Verified sightings at San Antonio
3,531 In all 43 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Lesser Nighthawk

The lesser nighthawk (Chordeiles acutipennis) is a nightjar found throughout a large part of the Americas. This bird looks similar to the common nighthawk but is slightly smaller, has a slightly less deeply forked tail, and is more buffy in coloration. Their distinctive mouths are very well adapted for capturing insects mid-flight.

Birds of the order Caprimulgiformes resemble owls and are primarily nocturnal insectivores. This group often has reduced feet, large mouths, and a camouflage coloring to blend in with their environment. The family Caprimulgidae, also known as nightjars, consists of over 70 insectivorous birds which are commonly classified by their long pointed wings. Their habitat and distribution is very broad range. Lesser nighthawks belong to the Chordeiles genus which contains 6 other species of nighthawk such as the common nighthawk, Antillean nighthawk, and sand-coloured nighthawk. The classification of nightjars are constantly being changed and renewed in attempt to group species with their closest relation.

Seven subspecies are recognised. Their breeding ranges are as follows. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:10

United States · 2020

© Jarrod Swackhamer · XC591811 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:06

United States · 2020

© Paul Marvin · XC582142 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:38

Ecuador · 1999

© John V. Moore · XC257766 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
3 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
5 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
6 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
7 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
10 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
11 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
12 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
13 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
16 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
<5%
18 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
19 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
20 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
22 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
23 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
24 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
25 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
26 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
27 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
28 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
29 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
30 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
31 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
32 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
34 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
35 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
36 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
37 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
38 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
39 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
40 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
41 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
43 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
2 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%
3 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Las Vegas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Managua 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
6 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
<5%
7 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
8 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
9 Lima 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
10 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Closest Relatives at San Antonio

Common Nighthawk
LC

Common Nighthawk

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Chordeiles minor

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Chuck-will's-widow
NT

Chuck-will's-widow

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Antrostomus carolinensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Eastern Whip-poor-will
NT

Eastern Whip-poor-will

🌙 Nocturnal Bird

Antrostomus vociferus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Northern Cardinal
LC

Northern Cardinal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis cardinalis

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely
White-winged Dove
LC

White-winged Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Zenaida asiatica

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Carolina Wren
LC

Carolina Wren

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thryothorus ludovicianus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Northern Mockingbird
LC

Northern Mockingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mimus polyglottos

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
House Sparrow
LC

House Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passer domesticus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Blue Jay
LC

Blue Jay

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cyanocitta cristata

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Black-crested Titmouse
LC

Black-crested Titmouse

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Baeolophus atricristatus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Great-tailed Grackle
LC

Great-tailed Grackle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Quiscalus mexicanus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Carolina Chickadee
LC Endemic

Carolina Chickadee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Poecile carolinensis

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Nighthawk in San Antonio?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Nighthawk sighting in San Antonio on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 190th most-seen of the 255 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lesser Nighthawk in San Antonio?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Nighthawk in San Antonio on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Lesser Nighthawk?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Nighthawk sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is San Antonio the best place to see a Lesser Nighthawk?

Among the best

Of the 15 cities where we can rate Lesser Nighthawk sightings, San Antonio ranks 10th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Phoenix (United States, under 5%), Mexico City (México, under 5%) and Mesa (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Lesser Nighthawk sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lesser Nighthawk is recorded against all the birds logged in San Antonio (48 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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