Egyptian nightjar

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Egyptian nightjar
Egyptian nightjar.png
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Caprimulgiformes
Family: Caprimulgidae
Genus: Caprimulgus
Species:
C. aegyptius
Binomial name
Caprimulgus aegyptius

The Egyptian nightjar (Caprimulgus aegyptius) is a medium-small nightjar which occurs in south west Asia and north Africa and winters in tropical Africa. This is a fairly common species with a wide distribution which faces no obvious threats apart from habitat destruction, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Contents

Etymology

The genus name Caprimulgus is derived from the Latin capra, "nanny goat", and mulgere, "to milk", referring to an old myth that nightjars suck milk from goats. The specific aegyptius is Latin for Egyptian.". [2] The common name "nightjar", first recorded in 1630, refers to the nocturnal habits of the bird, the second part of the name deriving from the distinctive churring song. [3]

Description

Resting during the day with chick Caprimulgus aegyptius.jpg
Resting during the day with chick

The variegated plumage is much paler than the European nightjar. The adult is sand-coloured, barred and streaked with buff and brown. The under parts are sandy or whitish. It is smaller, but relatively longer-winged and longer-tailed than the more widespread species. Like other nightjars, it has a wide gape, long wings, soft downy plumage and nocturnal habits. The male has tiny white wing spots. The length is 25 cm, and the wingspan 55 cm. Its call is a repetitive mechanical kroo-kroo-kroo…, which rises and falls as the bird turns its head from side to side. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The Egyptian nightjar is native to northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East. Its range includes Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen. It is a rare visitor to Europe, and has occurred as a vagrant in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Malta, Sweden and the United Kingdom. [1] Its typical habitat is open desert with a few scattered trees or bushes. It is often found near water in areas with sparse vegetation and scrub. Over-wintering birds in Sudan can be found in areas with long grass. [4]

Ecology

During the day, this crepuscular nightjar lies silent upon the ground, concealed by its plumage; it is difficult to detect, blending in with the sandy soil. It flies at dusk, most often at sundown, with an easy, silent moth-like flight; its strong and deliberate wingbeats alternate with sweeps and glides with motionless wings. Crepuscular insects, such as moths, are its food. No nest is made; the two elongated and elliptical eggs are placed upon the bare ground; the brooding bird, sitting closely, is their best protection. The population in northwestern Africa breeds in the desert and sandy steppe where there are areas with limestone outcrops, and overwinter in dry countryside with Artemisia , Tamarix and Salsola . [4]

Caprimulgus aegyptius distr.png

Related Research Articles

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Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called bugeaters, their primary source of food being insects. Some New World species are called nighthawks. The English word "nightjar" originally referred to the European nightjar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European nightjar</span> Migratory bird found in Eurasia and Africa

The European nightjar, common goatsucker, Eurasian nightjar or just nightjar, is a crepuscular and nocturnal bird in the nightjar family that breeds across most of Europe and the Palearctic to Mongolia and Northwestern China. The Latin generic name refers to the old myth that the nocturnal nightjar suckled from goats, causing them to cease to give milk. The six subspecies differ clinally, the birds becoming smaller and paler towards the east of the range. All populations are migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. Their densely patterned grey and brown plumage makes individuals difficult to see in the daytime when they rest on the ground or perch motionless along a branch, although the male shows white patches in the wings and tail as he flies at night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nighthawk</span> Subfamily of birds

The nighthawk is a nocturnal bird of the subfamily Chordeilinae, within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, native to the western hemisphere. The term "nighthawk", first recorded in the King James Bible of 1611, was originally a local name in England for the European nightjar. Its use in the Americas to refer to members of the genus Chordeiles and related genera was first recorded in 1778.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-necked nightjar</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standard-winged nightjar</span> Species of bird

The standard-winged nightjar is a nocturnal bird in the nightjar family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian nightjar</span> Species of bird

The Indian nightjar is a small nightjar which is a resident breeder in open lands across South Asia and Southeast Asia. Like most nightjars it is crepuscular and is best detected from its characteristic calls at dawn and dusk that have been likened to a stone skipping on a frozen lake - a series of clicks that become shorter and more rapid. They are sometimes spotted on roads when their eyes gleam red in the spotlight of a vehicle. There is considerable plumage variation across its range and can be hard to differentiate from other nightjars in the region especially in the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerdon's nightjar</span> Species of bird

Jerdon's nightjar is a medium-sized nightjar species native to southern India and Sri Lanka. Formerly considered as a subspecies of the long-tailed nightjar, it is best recognized by its distinctive call which sounds like a wooden plank being beaten periodically with each note ending in a quaver. The common name commemorates Thomas C. Jerdon who described the species.

<i>Caprimulgus</i> Genus of birds

Caprimulgus is a large and very widespread genus of nightjars, medium-sized nocturnal birds with long pointed wings, short legs and short bills. Caprimulgus is derived from the Latin capra, "nanny goat", and mulgere, "to milk", referring to an old myth that nightjars suck milk from goats. The common name "nightjar", first recorded in 1630, refers to the nocturnal habits of the bird, the second part of the name deriving from the distinctive churring song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common poorwill</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennant-winged nightjar</span> Species of bird

The pennant-winged nightjar is a species of nightjar that occurs from Nigeria to northern South Africa. It is an intra-African migrant and displays remarkable sexual dimorphism in the breeding season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bates's nightjar</span> Species of bird

Bates's nightjar or the forest nightjar, is a bird species of the family Caprimulgidae, found in the rainforests of western Sub-Saharan Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swamp nightjar</span> Species of bird in the nightjar family

The swamp nightjar or Natal nightjar is a crepuscular and nocturnal bird in the nightjar family found in Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nubian nightjar</span> Species of bird

The Nubian nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in salt marshes of Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Israel, Kenya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiery-necked nightjar</span> Species of bird

The fiery-necked nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae, which is found mostly in Africa south of the equator, though it has been spotted in a few countries north of the equator. It is most often found in woodland savannas or other deciduous woodlands. It is usually distinguished by its tawny coloured collar which gives the species its common name. It has a distinctive call that many have rendered as 'good-lord-deliver-us'. The fiery-necked nightjar is an insectivorous species that mostly eats butterflies, moths and other insects. The fiery-necked nightjar breeds after the dry season and typically produce two clutches with two eggs per clutch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montane nightjar</span> Species of bird

The montane nightjar, mountain nightjar or Abyssinian nightjar, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is native to upland regions of Central and Eastern Africa where it is a locally common species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freckled nightjar</span> Species of bird

The freckled nightjar or freckled rock nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It has a wide yet patchy distribution throughout the Afrotropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great eared nightjar</span> Species of bird

The great eared nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in southwest India and in parts of Southeast Asia. This very large nightjar has long barred wings, a barred tail and long ear-tufts which are often recumbent. It has a white throat band but has no white on its wings or on its tail.

<i>Antrostomus</i> Genus of birds

Antrostomus is a genus of nightjars formerly included in the genus Caprimulgus. They are medium-sized nocturnal birds with long pointed wings, short legs and short bills.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2019). "Caprimulgus aegyptius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T22689902A155483722. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22689902A155483722.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  33, 90. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  3. "Nightjar" . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press.(Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  4. 1 2 3 Nigel Cleere (2010). Nightjars: A Guide to Nightjars and related birds. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 249–250. ISBN   978-1-4081-3547-1.