| Freckled nightjar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| male | |
 | |
| female Both in Namibia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family: | Caprimulgidae |
| Genus: | Caprimulgus |
| Species: | C. tristigma |
| Binomial name | |
| Caprimulgus tristigma Rüppell, 1840 | |
The freckled nightjar or freckled rock nightjar (Caprimulgus tristigma) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It has a wide yet patchy distribution throughout the Afrotropics.
This species occurs throughout sub-Saharan African in localized populations. It is scarce in western Africa, occurring more commonly in the East. In the southern part of the continent, it is a year-round resident of the colder and drier areas, occurring most commonly in Zimbabwe, northern and eastern Botswana, western Mozambique, and eastern South Africa.
It has been found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The freckled nightjar is a large, powerfully-build species of nightjar with long wings and relatively short tails. They lack any prominent markings and appear dark gray or nearly black from a distance. At closer range, white, cinnamon, and pale buff freckling is visible on the upperparts of adults. Their underparts are typically dark brown with a whitish and cinnamon barring pattern. Their plumage provides excellent camouflage for rocky surfaces.
They are sexually dimorphic. In flight, males have small white spots on the four outer primaries and their two outer tail feathers have white tips. Females have 3 to 4 smaller white spots on their outer primaries and do not have white on their outer tail feathers. In both sexes, when the wings are folded, the white spots are generally not visible.
This species sings in the early morning and evening, as well as on moonlit nights. The song can be variable but is typically in the form of a whistle consisting of two or three whow notes. It is typically repeated for 30 seconds or more at a time. From a distance, it may sound like a dog barking.
The flight or threat call consists of two or three wock sounds delivered at a low frequency. The alarm call is a yelping gobble sound. For distraction displays, soft grok-grok grumbles are delivered.
This species is crepuscular and nocturnal. During the day, it roosts on bare or lichen-covered rock surfaces, which may be situated in the open or in vegetated areas. They can tolerate surface temperatures of up to 60 °C. At night, they forage in nearby woodlands or open areas. They also frequently sit in the middle of roadways at night.
Research has shown that this species has the capacity to enter torpor during the coldest, driest parts of its annual cycle.
Their diet primarily consists of flying insects such as moths, termites, and chafers. Other food items that have been recorded as part of their diet include beetles, butterflies, cockroaches, mantids, lacewings, antlions, grasshoppers, bees, wasps, and ants. During the winter, activity levels are significantly reduced due to large seasonal fluctuations in food resource availability. Due to the size of its gape, which is larger than any other nightjar, this species is able to swallow 3.5 cm-long insects whole.
They forage at dusk, dawn, and occasionally on moonlit nights over rocky landscapes, broken ground, and cattle pastures. They hawk flying insects during short flights out and then glide back to their perches located on boulders or at rocky bank edges.
This species is monogamous, with pair-bonds that are fairly long-lasting. In one instance, a pair-bond was found to last for 3 years. They tend to exhibit strong site fidelity and often re-use the same nesting sites year after year. They are rupicolous breeders, building their nests in barren, natural hollows within rock formations that may be partially shaded or completely un-shaded. Wind-blown plant and rock chip debris often fills their nesting hollows.
In eastern Africa, egg-laying season is either from September to November or from May to June, depending on the region. In southern Africa, laying tends to take place between August and December, with peaks occurring from September to November. In Nigeria, laying occurs between January and May. If the first clutch is lost, they usually lay a replacement clutch. They may also lay a second clutch following the fledging of the first brood. Females lay clutches of two eggs on successive days. Incubation lasts for 18.5 to 20 days and is done by females during the day and partially by males during the night. The young are quite mobile within 24 hours of hatching and are cared for my both parents. The female broods during the day, while at night, she alternates with the male to brood and feed the nestlings. The chicks are very well camouflaged and blend in with the surrounding rocks. They take their first flight at 19 to 20 days old.
Although the global population size has not been quantified, the population is thought to be stable, with relatively common occurrences throughout most of its range. It is classified as Least Concern.
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.
The bush stone-curlew or bush thick-knee, also known as the Iben bird is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia. Its favoured habitat is open plains and woodlands, where it stalks slowly at night in search of invertebrates such as insects. Its grey-brown coloration is distinguished by dark streaks, its eyes are large and legs are long. It is capable of flight, but relies on the camouflage of its plumage to evade detection during the day; the bush curlew adopts a rigid posture when it becomes aware of an observer. Both sexes care for two eggs laid on the bare ground, usually sited near bush in a shaded position or next to a fallen branch.
The common nighthawk or bullbat 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, 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 its horizontal stance and short legs, the common nighthawk does not travel frequently on the ground, instead preferring to perch horizontally, parallel to branches, on posts, on the ground or on a roof. The males of this species may roost together but the bird is primarily solitary. The common nighthawk shows variability in territory size.
The Egyptian nightjar 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".
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.
The Puerto Rican nightjar or Puerto Rican whip-poor-will is a bird in the nightjar family found in the coastal dry scrub forests in localized areas of southwestern Puerto Rico. It was described in 1916 from bones found in a cave in north central Puerto Rico and a single skin specimen from 1888, and was considered extinct until observed in the wild in 1961. The current population is estimated as 1,400-2,000 mature birds. The species is currently classified as Endangered due to pressures from habitat loss.
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.
The common poorwill is a nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, the nightjars. It is found from British Columbia and southeastern Alberta, through the western United States to northern Mexico. The bird's habitat is dry, open areas with grasses or shrubs, and even stony desert slopes with very little vegetation.
The buff-collared nightjar or Ridgway's whip-poor-will is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the U.S. states of Arizona and New Mexico.
The eared nightjars are a small group of nocturnal birds in the nightjar family, although the taxonomy is uncertain. There are seven species, mainly found in forest and scrub from China to Australia. Five species are placed in the genus, Eurostopodus, the other two species in Lyncornis. They are long winged birds with plumage patterned with grey and brown to camouflage them when resting on the ground. They feed on insects caught in flight. A single white egg is laid directly on the ground and incubated by both adults. The chicks can walk soon after hatching.
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.
The Yucatan nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras.
The golden nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Sahel region in northern Sub-Saharan Africa.
The pygmy nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to Brazil.
The band-winged nightjar or greater band-winged nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is widespread in South America, where it is found in the Andes, Venezuelan Coastal Range, Santa Marta Mountains, Tepuis, most of Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and eastern Brazil. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, from the edge of humid montane forest to shrubby semi-deserts and urban rooftops.
The dusky nightjar or dusky whip-poor-will is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
The white-winged nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
The spotted nightjar or spotted eared-nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It inhabits much of mainland Australia and has also been found in several Indonesian islands. Its natural habitats are open forests and woodlands, scrub, spinifex and tussock grassland, savannah woodland and mangroves.
The scissor-tailed nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is distributed over much of eastern South America.
Bird eggs are laid by the females and range in quantity from one to up to seventeen. Clutch size may vary latitudinally within a species. Some birds lay eggs even when the eggs have not been fertilized; it is not uncommon for pet owners to find their lone bird nesting on a clutch of infertile eggs, which are sometimes called wind-eggs.
