Antillean Nighthawk
Chordeiles gundlachii
The adults are dark with brown, grey and white patterning on the upperparts and breast; the long wings are black and show a white bar in flight. The tail is dark with white barring; the underparts are white with black bars. The adult male has a white throat; the female has a light brown throat. The most distinguishing characteristic to determine its identity from its closest relative the common nighthawk are the contrasting pale tertials near the back of the wings of a sitting bird. There are two color morphs, a gray and a rufous type. Voice: The call is a short pikadik usually heard overhead. The common nighthawk occasionally will make a similar call, but it is not as consistent. In the Dominican Republic, the bird is called querebebé; in Puerto Rico, the bird is called querequequé. Both are onomatopoeic terms which originate in Taíno.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
The common nighthawk is distinguished from other caprimulguids by its forked tail (includes a white bar in males); its long, unbarred, pointed wings with distinctive white patches; its lack of rictal bristles, and the key identifier – their unmistakable calls. These birds range from 21 to 25 cm (8.3 to 9.8 in) in total length and from 51 to 61 cm (20 to 24 in) in wingspan. Body mass can vary from 55 to 98 g (1.9 to 3.5 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 17.2 to 21.3 cm (6.8 to 8.4 in), the tail is 13 to 15.1 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in), the bill is 0.5 to 0.8 cm (0.20 to 0. Voice: There are no differences between the calls and song of the common nighthawk. The most conspicuous vocalization is a nasal peent or beernt during flight. Peak vocalizations are reported 30 to 45 minutes after sunset. A croaking auk auk auk is vocalized by males while in the presence of a female during courtship.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where you might meet both
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Play today's Daily BirdPhotos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Antillean Nighthawk and Common Nighthawk.