ML27984271
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Media notes
LENI. Specifically note the worn primaries. This time of the year, Common Nighthawks would have relatively new primaries. Click on the photo to enlarge.
Observation details
This bird was first located by Terry Hodapp. Mary Brown was the first to correctly ID the bird. Three field marks point to a Lesser Nighthawk: (1) The placement of the white in the wing near the end of tertials (the white mark would be more anterior in a Common Nighthawk), (2) the length of the wings being about the same as the tail in the perched bird (the wings would be longer than the tail in a Common Nighthawk), and (3) the primaries are very worn (they would be relatively fresh and new in a Common Nighthawk). In regards to #3, Common Nighthawks molt their primaries on the wintering grounds and should come back to us in the spring with very new primaries. Lesser Nighthawks, on the other hand, molt in late summer, and have worn primaries when they return to us in the spring. Many of the primaries on the bird we saw look worn in the photos below. Mary, great job on the ID.
Technical information
- Dimensions
- 1371 pixels x 917 pixels
- Original file size
- 842.86 KB