Antillean Nighthawk
Description
The Antillean nighthawk (Chordeiles gundlachii) is a nightjar native to the Caribbean and Florida Keys.
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.
Call
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 and Puerto Rico, the bird is called querequequé, an onomatopoeic term which originates in Taíno.
Distribution & Habitat
The Antillean Nighthawk is a locally common breeding bird on
Puerto Rico from May to August
(Rafaele and others 1998). On
Vieques, it is a rare breeding
summer visitor (Gemmill 2015).
This species has nocturnal and
crepuscular habits, and inhabits
open fl at areas, pastures,
savannas, gravel beaches, rocky
outcrops, and coastal fringes
(Biaggi 1997, Brigham and others
2011, Raffaele and others 1998).
The atlas fieldwork yielded a
total of 254 records within 134
hexagons or 28 percent of the
479 total hexagons (see map).
Of the 134 hexagons where this
species was found, breeding met the atlas definition of confirmed
in 12 percent (16) of the
hexagons, probable in 18 percent
(24), and possible in 69 percent
(93), while the species was
observed in 1 percent (1) of the
hexagons but without evidence
of breeding (see map).
Breeding Habits
The Antillean Nighthawk nests on the ground among leaves,
sand, or gravel from May to
July, according to previously
published reports (Raffaele and
others 1998). Also, it is well
known for its propensity to nest
on fl at gravel roofs, especially
in cities (Brigham and others Antillean Nighthawk distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding. 75Antillean Nighthawk/Querequequé2011). Atlas results indicate that the Antillean Nighthawks
breeding occurs mostly between
March and August, with a peak
in May within the subtropical
dry forest life zone and in June
within the subtropical moist
forest life zone (see chart).
We are skeptical of breeding
observations in other months
of the year, given that most
nighthawks migrate out of Puerto
Rico at this time. The possible
category is probably not a good
indication for breeding in this
species. Results show that the
Antillean Nighthawk mostly
breeds within the subtropical moist and subtropical dry forest
life zones (51 and 47 percent of
the hexagons, respectively), but some breeding activity has also
been reported for the subtropical
wet and subtropical rain forest
life zones (see table and map).
Most breeding is on the coastal
plain with a paucity of records
on the east coast.
Conservation
The Antillean Nighthawk population is suspected to be
declining probably owing to
increased predation, use of
pesticides that reduce insect numbers, and habitat loss
(Brigham and others 2011).
Despite the fact that the
population trend appears to
be decreasing, it is listed as a
species of least concern by the
IUCN (BirdLife International
2016). Locally, this species is not
listed in any of the threatened
categories of PRDNER and
USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the
Antillean Nighthawk has a
protected habitat in land of 10
percent or 321 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons
where evidence of breeding
was found for this species
(3183 km2).
Related Species
Family:
nightjar