page_title: List of birds of California
section_title: Nightjars and allies
hierarchical_section_title: List of birds of California / Nightjars and allies
context_page_description: This list of birds of California is a comprehensive listing of all the bird species seen naturally in the U.S. state of California as determined by the California Bird Records Committee.
  As of June 30, 2020, there are 676 species on the CBRC list. Two of these species are endemic, 13 were introduced by humans, one species has been extirpated, and one was extirpated in the wild but its reintroduction is in progress. Five additional species have been documented but "the CBRC could not reach a consensus as to whether records of these species involved true naturally occurring vagrants or escapes from captivity." One additional species has been added from eBird as a result of the 2020 taxonomic revisions to the Check-list of North and Middle American Birds; it is marked as a review species.
  The following tags note species in each of those categories and one additional category:
  Endemic to California
  (I) Introduced but now established in California
  Extirpated from California
  Reintroduction in progress - not yet established
  California Bird Records Committee Review Species
  Of unknown origin
context_section_description: Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae
  Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically colored to resemble bark or leaves.
  Lesser nighthawk,  Chordeiles acutipennis
  Common nighthawk,  Chordeiles minor
  Common poorwill,  Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
  Chuck-will's-widow, Antrostomus carolinensis (*)
  Buff-collared nightjar, Antrostomus ridgwayi (*)
  Eastern whip-poor-will, Antrostomus vociferus (*)
  Mexican whip-poor-will, Antrostomus arizonae
caption: Common nighthawk, drawn in 1859
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