# Antillean Nighthawk

Scientific name: Chordeiles gundlachii

Bird group: [nightjar](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/nightjar)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/84/Antillean-Nighthawk

## Identification

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 and 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

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).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_084_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_084_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.