Nightjars and Allies

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Some New World species are called nighthawks. The English word nightjar originally referred to the European nightjar.

Species in this family

• Spot-tailed Nightjar Antiurus maculicaudus
• Mexican Whip-poor-will Antrostomus arizonae
• Yucatan Nightjar Antrostomus badius
• Chuck-will's-widow Antrostomus carolinensis
• Cuban Nightjar Antrostomus cubanensis
• Hispaniolan Nightjar Antrostomus ekmani
• Puerto Rican Nightjar Antrostomus noctitherus
• Buff-collared Nightjar Antrostomus ridgwayi
• Rufous Nightjar Antrostomus rufus
• Tawny-collared Nightjar Antrostomus salvini
• Dusky Nightjar Antrostomus saturatus
• Silky-tailed Nightjar Antrostomus sericocaudatus
• Eastern Whip-poor-will Antrostomus vociferus
• Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius
• Savanna Nightjar Caprimulgus affinis
• Andaman Nightjar Caprimulgus andamanicus
• Indian Nightjar Caprimulgus asiaticus
• Jerdon's Nightjar Caprimulgus atripennis
• Bates's Nightjar Caprimulgus batesi
• Sulawesi Nightjar Caprimulgus celebensis
• Slender-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus clarus
• Long-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus climacurus
• Bonaparte's Nightjar Caprimulgus concretus
• Donaldson Smith's Nightjar Caprimulgus donaldsoni
• Eurasian Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus
• Golden Nightjar Caprimulgus eximius
• Square-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus fossii
• Sombre Nightjar Caprimulgus fraenatus
• Chirruping Nightjar Caprimulgus griseatus
• Jungle Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus
• Plain Nightjar Caprimulgus inornatus
• Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus jotaka
• Standard-winged Nightjar Caprimulgus longipennis
• Large-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus
• Madagascar Nightjar Caprimulgus madagascariensis
• Sykes's Nightjar Caprimulgus mahrattensis
• Philippine Nightjar Caprimulgus manillensis
• Mees's Nightjar Caprimulgus meesi
• Swamp Nightjar Caprimulgus natalensis
• Nubian Nightjar Caprimulgus nubicus
• Fiery-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus pectoralis
• Palau Nightjar Caprimulgus phalaena
• Montane Nightjar Caprimulgus poliocephalus
• Salvadori's Nightjar Caprimulgus pulchellus
• Red-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus ruficollis
• Rufous-cheeked Nightjar Caprimulgus rufigena
• Star-spotted Nightjar Caprimulgus stellatus
• Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma
• Pennant-winged Nightjar Caprimulgus vexillarius
• Lesser Nighthawk Chordeiles acutipennis
• Antillean Nighthawk Chordeiles gundlachii
• Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
• Nacunda Nighthawk Chordeiles nacunda
• Least Nighthawk Chordeiles pusillus
• Sand-coloured Nighthawk Chordeiles rupestris
• Sickle-winged Nightjar Eleothreptus anomalus
• White-winged Nightjar Eleothreptus candicans
• Archbold's Nightjar Eurostopodus archboldi
• Spotted Nightjar Eurostopodus argus
• Diabolical Nightjar Eurostopodus diabolicus
• White-throated Nightjar Eurostopodus mystacalis
• Solomons Nightjar Eurostopodus nigripennis
• Papuan Nightjar Eurostopodus papuensis
• Collared Nightjar Gactornis enarratus
• White-tailed Nightjar Hydropsalis cayennensis
• Ladder-tailed Nightjar Hydropsalis climacocerca
• Long-trained Nightjar Hydropsalis forcipata
• Scissor-tailed Nightjar Hydropsalis torquata
• Rufous-bellied Nighthawk Lurocalis rufiventris
• Short-tailed Nighthawk Lurocalis semitorquatus
• Great Eared-Nightjar Lyncornis macrotis
• Malaysian Eared-Nightjar Lyncornis temminckii
• Common Pauraque Nyctidromus albicollis
• Scrub Nightjar Nyctidromus anthonyi
• Eared Poorwill Nyctiphrynus mcleodii
• Ocellated Poorwill Nyctiphrynus ocellatus
• Choco Poorwill Nyctiphrynus rosenbergi
• Yucatan Poorwill Nyctiphrynus yucatanicus
• Pygmy Nightjar Nyctipolus hirundinaceus
• Blackish Nightjar Nyctipolus nigrescens
• Band-tailed Nighthawk Nyctiprogne leucopyga
• Bahian Nighthawk Nyctiprogne vielliardi
• Common Poorwill Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
• Tschudi's Nightjar Quechuavis decussata
• Little Nightjar Setopagis parvula
• Jamaican Pauraque Siphonorhis americana
• Least Pauraque Siphonorhis brewsteri
• Band-winged Nightjar Systellura longirostris
• Roraiman Nightjar Tepuiornis whitelyi
• Lyre-tailed Nightjar Uropsalis lyra
• Swallow-tailed Nightjar Uropsalis segmentata
• Brown Nightjar Veles binotatus

Lookalikes compared

• Band-tailed Nighthawk vs Band-winged Nightjar
• Band-winged Nightjar vs Common Pauraque
• Chuck-will's-widow vs Buff-collared Nightjar
• Common Nighthawk vs Antillean Nighthawk
• Common Nighthawk vs Chuck-will's-widow
• Common Nighthawk vs Eurasian Nightjar
• Common Pauraque vs White-winged Nightjar
• Common Pauraque vs Yucatan Nightjar
• Eared Poorwill vs Yucatan Poorwill
• Eurasian Nightjar vs Freckled Nightjar
• Fiery-necked Nightjar vs Freckled Nightjar
• Freckled Nightjar vs Square-tailed Nightjar
• Lesser Nighthawk vs Rufous Nightjar
• Ocellated Poorwill vs Rufous Nightjar
• Pennant-winged Nightjar vs Eurasian Nightjar
• Pennant-winged Nightjar vs Rufous-cheeked Nightjar
• Red-necked Nightjar vs Eurasian Nightjar
• Rufous-cheeked Nightjar vs Freckled Nightjar
• Scissor-tailed Nightjar vs Ocellated Poorwill
• Slender-tailed Nightjar vs Square-tailed Nightjar
• Sykes's Nightjar vs Jerdon's Nightjar
• Tawny-collared Nightjar vs Silky-tailed Nightjar
• White-winged Nightjar vs Little Nightjar
• Yucatan Nightjar vs Mexican Whip-poor-will