Bird Guide

Band-winged Nightjar vs Short-tailed Nighthawk

Band-winged Nightjar (Systellura longirostris)

Band-winged Nightjar

Systellura longirostris

Small46 gShrubland

Over its large range, there are significant variations in its morphology, but, as suggested by its common name, it always has a distinctive band in the wing (best visible in flight), which is white in the male and buff in the female. This nightjar has a length that varies from 20 to 27 cm (for Ecuador, 21.5 to 23 cm). The iris, bill, legs, and feet vary from brown to blackish brown. On the upper side, a greyish-brown, blackish-brown, brownish-orange, pale yellowish-brown, and greyish-white coloration can be distinguished. The rear of the neck is from a brownish orange to a yellowish brown. Voice: The species has a variety of calls. The territorial tone is a high-sharp whistle, seeeeert sweeeert seeeet, constantly repeated every 1 to 3 seconds. Whistles can be heard at dusk or dawn. The flight whistle is usually heard during the breeding season as a high cheet. Females when flushed produce a nasal sound like tchree-ee.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Band-winged Nightjar
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz @rosaelena_naturaleza · Song · Los Caracas, La Guaira, Venezuela · CC0
Photo: Marcelo Schmidt Roberti · CC BY 4.0
Short-tailed Nighthawk (Lurocalis semitorquatus)

Short-tailed Nighthawk

Lurocalis semitorquatus

Medium76 gForest

The short-tailed nighthawk is 19 to 21 cm (7.5 to 8.3 in) long. One L. s. semitorquatusfemale weighed 79 g (2.8 oz) and several L. s. nattereri males weighed 82 to 89 g (2.9 to 3.1 oz). This is a rather large nightjar with an unusually short tail. Its upperparts are dark brown to blackish with rufous and buff spots and speckles. The wings are also dark brown with muted spots of several colors, an unlike most other nighthawks, do not have bold white markings. The tail is brown with tawny or grayish bars and a narrow buffy or whitish band at the end.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Brett/Tele · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Band-winged Nightjar and Short-tailed Nighthawk.