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Nightjars | Caprimulgidae
Nachtzwaluwen | Chotacabras
Long pointed wings and a long tail give a light, floating flight in which insects are hawked low over open ground and along woodland edges. The claw of the middle toe is drawn out along one side into a small comb with fine teeth, with which the bird grooms its head and facial bristles. The song is a long, mechanical churring delivered from a perch; in display the male shows white spots at the wingtips and tail corners and claps his wings together above his back. Two eggs are laid straight onto the litter with no nest; hunting goes best by moonlight, and breeding is timed so that the young are being raised through the bright half of the lunar month.
Native species 13 species
Species that occur here by nature: breeding birds, winter visitors and passage migrants. They are arranged by genus, in the sequence of the list.
Lurocalis 1 species
Nyctidromus 1 species
Hydropsalis 1 species
Siphonorhis 1 species
Antrostomus 5 species
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Chuck-will's-widow
Antrostomus carolinensis
Dry deciduous forest
Semi-evergreen and moist forest
Pine forest
Limestone karst forest
Coastal woodland
Mangrove
Coastal and beach scrub
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Rufous Nightjar
Antrostomus rufus
Dry deciduous forest
Semi-evergreen and moist forest
Coastal woodland
Thorn scrub and cactus scrub
Coastal and beach scrub
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Cuban Nightjar
Antrostomus cubanensis
Dry deciduous forest
Semi-evergreen and moist forest
Pine forest
Limestone karst forest
Swamp forest and palm swamp
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Hispaniolan Nightjar
Antrostomus ekmani
Dry deciduous forest
Semi-evergreen and moist forest
Montane rainforest
Pine forest
Thorn scrub and cactus scrub
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Puerto Rican Nightjar
Antrostomus noctitherus
Dry deciduous forest
Limestone karst forest
Thorn scrub and cactus scrub
Chordeiles 4 species
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Nacunda Nighthawk
Chordeiles nacunda
Savanna and open grassland
Seasonally flooded savanna
Rice fields and fish ponds
Pasture and small-scale farm mosaic
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Lesser Nighthawk
Chordeiles acutipennis
Savanna and open grassland
Thorn scrub and cactus scrub
Coastal and beach scrub
Saline lagoon and salt pan
Rice fields and fish ponds
Pasture and small-scale farm mosaic
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Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Savanna and open grassland
Pasture and small-scale farm mosaic
Sandy beach and dunes
Villages, towns and gardens
Harbours, airports and industry
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Antillean Nighthawk
Chordeiles gundlachii
Savanna and open grassland
Coastal and beach scrub
Sandy beach and dunes
Sugarcane and arable fields
Pasture and small-scale farm mosaic
Villages, towns and gardens
Harbours, airports and industry






