LOUISIANA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE

REPORT FORM

1. English and Scientific names: Lesser Nighthawk, Chordeiles acutipennis

2. Number of individuals, sexes, ages, general plumage (e.g., 2 in alternate plumage): 1 male

3. Parish: Cameron

Specific Locality: Peveto Woods

4. Date(s) when observed: 04/01/2013

5. Time(s) of day when observed: mid-day

6. Reporting observer and address: Paul Conover, Lafayette, LA

7. Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s): Robby Bacon

8. Other observers who independently identified the bird(s):

9. Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light): Light sufficient

10. Optical equipment (type, power, condition): Zeiss 10s, Nikon Fieldscope, assorted cameras.

11. Distance to bird(s): down to about 40 yards during viewing, closer when bird was in flight

12. Duration of observation: off and on over an hour or so; perhaps 10 minutes when found perched.

13. Habitat: Remnant chenier woods along coast

14. Behavior of bird / circumstances of observation:

Robby and I kept flushing this bird, but I was unable to get close enough to it when landed to observe it. After about an hour, I located it in the open and observed it through a scope. Bird typically glided as much as possible and stayed below canopy level. Bird shaped somewhat like Merlin in flight.

15. Description: (I inadvertently copied over an earlier version of this report, and my memory is not fresh on it, so I’m simply transcribing the field notes from the recording of that day.) Center of throat white, sides of throat mottled buff and slightly darker brown. Cutthroat white pattern, so white throat patch an inverted T or V or Y. Eyelid manila. Crown speckled grayish on the sides, with perhaps a darker central crown stripe or patch. Very fine bracket-shaped markings on the lower breast, upper breast mottled or perhaps with barring bunched up. Ground color of underparts pale manila, barring dark brown. Lesser coverts dark brown, with small pale buff tips or dots, wider on the bend of the wing, median coverts a mottled gray—resembling juvenile feather pattern. Single pale buff spot on greater(?) coverts, a few rows of buff proximal to the white stripe on the primaries. White alula. Wings reach to about tail tip. Primaries medium brownish, a worn color. Auriculars have kind of buffy color, mixed with black.

(And describing bird from photos)

Tail transversely tiger-striped buff and dark brown, except last pale par broader and white, tail ends on dark stripe. Underwing linings a continuation of underpart markings. Undertails also buff with fine dark striping. Outer 4 primaries brown with white bars crossing about halfway down length. Inner primaries (and secondaries) with small buff spots forming rows that roughly parallel white wing stripe.

16. Voice: none heard

17. Similar species (include how they were eliminated by your observation): Buff spotting on inner primaries too extensive for Common. Buff undertail coverts on a male suggest Lesser, not Common. Placement of white bar on primaries well beyond level of tips of greater primary coverts as on Common.

18. Photographs or tape recordings obtained? (by whom? attached?): yes, by me.

19. Previous experience with this species: Pretty extensive, and very extensive with Common.

20. Identification aids: (list books, illustrations, other birders, etc. used in identification):

a. at time of observation:

b. after observation:

21. This description is written from: recorded notes and review of photos.

22. Are you positive of your identification if not, explain: Yes

23. Date: 5/15/2013