Antillean Nighthawk
Photo © Dan Vickers
Photo © Dan Vickers — CC BY 4.0 — Source: iNaturalist #319648759The Antillean nighthawk (Chordeiles gundlachii) is a nightjar native to the Caribbean, The Bahamas, and Florida Keys. Its specific epithet, gundlachii, is in honor of Cuban naturalist Juan Gundlach. == Description == 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. Like other nighthawks, this bird will display by flying upward with a distinctive call note, then diving, pulling out of the dive only a few feet from the ground. This creates a rush of air and distinctive sound. == Habitat and distribution == Their breeding habitat is open country of the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, the Bahamas, and the Florida Keys in the United States. They usually nest on bare ground…
Biscayne National Park
Miami-Dade County, United States
+263 birds+7 mammals
Coral reefs and mangrove shallows dominate this marine sanctuary where the Florida Keys meet the Atlantic, creating a mosaic of shallow seagrass meadows, patch reefs, and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKDry Tortugas National Park
Monroe County, United States
+211 birds+1 mammals
Seventy miles west of Key West, where the Gulf of Mexico surrenders to the Atlantic, lies a constellation of low coral keys that rise barely above…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVirgin Islands National Park
Cruz Bay, United States
+119 birds+3 mammals
Coral reef and mangrove ecosystems define the tropical maritime landscape of this national park, where St. John's mountainous spine rises sharply from turquoise bays fringed with…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Dare County, United States
+356 birds+15 mammals
Where the Outer Banks taper toward the Atlantic, a sliver of barrier island creates a microcosm of coastal ecology. Pea Island National Wildlife Sanctuary spans over…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYNo community photos yet. Log in to add the first one.
No community observations of this species yet.