---
title: "Amerikaanse nachtzwaluw"
description: "Chordeiles minor — Vogels. The common nighthawk or bullbat (Chordeiles minor) is a medium-sized crepuscular or nocturnal bird of the Americas within the nightjar (Caprimulgidae) family, whose presence and identity are best revealed by its vocalization."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/common-nighthawk
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Amerikaanse nachtzwaluw

> Chordeiles minor — Vogels. The common nighthawk or bullbat (Chordeiles minor) is a medium-sized  crepuscular or nocturnal bird of the Americas within the nightjar (Caprimulgidae) family, whose presence and identity are best revealed by its vocalization.

- Scientific name: *Chordeiles minor*
- Category: `birds` (Vogels)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 20351
- Wikidata: [Q943329](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q943329)
- iNaturalist taxon: [19577](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/19577)

## Names

- en: Common Nighthawk
- de: Nachtfalke
- es: Chotacabras zumbón
- fr: Engoulevent d'Amérique
- nl: Amerikaanse nachtzwaluw
- pt: Bacurau-norte-americano
- pl: Lelczyk mały

## Countries with the most observations

US (13296), CA (3561), MX (180), CO (84), BR (58), PA (27), AR (22), HN (17), CR (11), EC (10), UY (9), PT (6)

## Summary

The common nighthawk or bullbat (Chordeiles minor) is a medium-sized  crepuscular or nocturnal bird of the Americas within the nightjar (Caprimulgidae) family, whose presence and identity are best revealed by its vocalization. Typically dark (gray, black and brown), displaying cryptic colouration and intricate patterns, this bird is difficult to spot with the naked eye during the day. This bird is most conspicuous when in its buoyant and erratic flight. The most remarkable feature of this aerial insectivore is its small beak that belies the massiveness of its mouth. Some claim appearance similarities to owls. With…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_nighthawk

## Photo

![Amerikaanse nachtzwaluw](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/common-nighthawk/medium.jpg)

Photo: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/87211922

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/common-nighthawk?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).