Common Pauraque vs Blue-grey Tanager

The Common Pauraque and Blue-grey Tanager are easily distinguished by their plumage and behavior. The Pauraque is a large, long-tailed nightjar with intricate brown, buff, gray, and black patterns, while the Tanager is a smaller bird with a uniform blue-gray coloration. The Pauraque is crepuscular and terrestrial, whereas the Tanager is diurnal and arboreal.

Look for the Pauraque's long, rounded tail with white in the rectrices and its ground-foraging behavior at dusk or dawn. Identify the Tanager by its uniform blue-gray plumage and presence in trees during the day.

The Common Pauraque is larger and longer-tailed than the Blue-grey Tanager.

The Pauraque has a complex pattern of browns, buffs, grays, and blacks with a white band across the primaries and substantial white in the tail. In contrast, the Blue-grey Tanager is uniformly blue-gray.

The Pauraque is crepuscular and often forages on the ground, while the Blue-grey Tanager is diurnal and typically found in trees.

The Pauraque's song is a distinctive 'hip-hip hip-hip hip-hip-hooray,' while the Blue-grey Tanager's vocalizations are not described here.