What does the Antillean Nighthawk sound like at night?
Press play. If that is the sound outside, you have your answer — the Antillean Nighthawk's "killy-ka-dick! pity-pit-pit!".
What you're hearing
A dry, clipped, multi-note phrase given over breeding areas at dusk. It sounds scratchy and insect-like, not like the Common Nighthawk's single-syllable call.
“killy-ka-dick! pity-pit-pit!”
Birders often file this one under Twilight call.
What time of night you hear it
Dusk and into the night in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean, in summer.
Look for it at dusk and dawn, when it loops, twists, and glides over open country and rooftops. Spring and summer bring the most calling and display flights on the breeding grounds; many birds move south in fall.
Why an Antillean Nighthawk calls at night
Nearly identical to the Common Nighthawk in the air, but the voice gives it away: a rapid, chattering pity-pit-pit instead of a single peent. In the United States it is essentially a Keys specialty.
What else could it be?
The other voices you are most likely to hear in the dark. Play them and compare.