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Lesser Nighthawk Chordeiles acutipennis

Flight call description A low chuck or double chuck is occasionally uttered in flight on the wintering grounds, and a variable nasal "waay-da-da-da" is given in flight on the breeding grounds. See Behavior.

 

Fig.1. Texas May 7, 1998 (WRE).

"Waay-da-da-da" call from bird in nocturnal flight on the breeding grounds.

 

Examples

Nocturnal calling sequences:

1. Texas May 7, 1998 (WRE). "Waay-da-da-da" call from bird in flight on the breeding grounds.

2. Texas May 7, 1998 (WRE). "Waay-da-da-da" call from bird in flight on the breeding grounds.Killdeer calling in the background.

3. Texas May 1998 (WRE). "Waay-da-da-da" call from bird in flight on the breeding grounds.

 

Similar species Distinctive.

 

Behavior Presumed to be primarily a nocturnal migrant, but diurnal migration has been reported (Ridgely and Gwynne 1989). Not known to call in migration. In Costa Rica, the normally silent nonbreeding birds occasionally utter a low single or double chuck in flight (Stiles and Skutch 1989).