| Hispaniolan nightjar | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family: | Caprimulgidae |
| Genus: | Antrostomus |
| Species: | A. ekmani |
| Binomial name | |
| Antrostomus ekmani Lönnberg, 1929 | |
 | |
The Hispaniolan nightjar (Antrostomus ekmani) is a nightjar species endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. [2]
The Hispaniolan nightjar was originally described as Antrostomus ekmani; the genus was later lumped into genus Caprimulgus and still later restored as a separate genus. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC), BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW), and the Clements taxonomy consider it a monotypic species. The American Ornithological Society (AOS) considers it and the two subspecies of the Cuban nightjar (A. cubanensis) to be subspecies of the Greater Antillean nightjar. [3] [2] [4] [5] [6] The species is named for Swedish naturalist Erik Leonard Ekman, who first described the species in the 19th century.
The Hispaniolan nightjar is 26 to 30 cm (10 to 12 in) long. The upperparts are dark brown speckled with grayish buff, pale buff, and grayish brown, and the crown has broad black streaks. The tail is brown and the three outer pairs of feathers are broadly tipped with white (male) or buff (female). The innermost pair has grayish brown chevrons. The wings are brown with spots, bars, and mottling of lighter shades. The face is tawny with dark brown speckles, the chin and throat dark brown with cinnamon speckles, the breast dark brown with large spots and smaller speckles of buffy white, and the belly and flanks dark brown with gray speckles. The Cuban nightjar subspecies endemic to Isla de la Juventud (A. cubensis insulaepinorum) is smaller, much darker, and has a shorter tail than the Hispaniolan nightjar. [3]
The Hispaniolan nightjar is found only on the large island of Hispaniola. It is much more common in the western third of the Dominican Republic than the eastern part of that country, and is very rare in Haiti to the west of the Dominican Republic. It mostly inhabits broadleaf forests at middle elevations and shuns low elevation thorn scrub and higher elevation pine forest. In elevation it ranges up to about 1,825 m (5,990 ft). [3]
The Hispaniolan nightjar is crepuscular and nocturnal. Its prey is insects that it captures in flight, though whether that is during continuous flight or by sallies from a perch or the ground is not known. [3]
The Hispaniolan nightjar breeds between April and July. The usual clutch of two eggs is laid directly on the ground without a nest. Both sexes are believed to incubate the eggs. [3]
The Hispaniolan nightjar's song is "a rather harsh, buzzy call of one syllable" that starts with a click and rises in pitch. Its apparent disturbance call is "low-pitched, brief calls, paraphrased as quat…quat…quat…". [3]
The IUCN has assessed the Hispaniolan nightjar as being of Least Concern. Though its population is unknown, it is believed to be stable, and no immediate threats have been identified. [1] However, "destruction of habitat undoubtably would affect this species, and introduced predators also are a potential threat." [3]
The grey-headed dove (Leptotila plumbeiceps) is a large New World dove. It is found from eastern Mexico to Colombia.
The Antillean palm swift is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found on the Caribbean islands of Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola.
The Hispaniolan mango is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
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The Yucatan nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras.
The Cuban nightjar, sometimes also Greater Antillean nightjar, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to Cuba.
The rufous nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.
The tawny-collared nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to Mexico.
The sand-colored nighthawk is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The eared poorwill is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to Mexico.
The swallow-tailed nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The Hispaniolan parakeet is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In the former country it is called "perico" and in the latter "perruche".
The Colima pygmy owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the western part of Mexico.
The ashy-faced owl is a species of bird in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. It is found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, on Dominica, and on several other islands of the Lesser Antilles.
The thick-billed miner is a species of bird in the subfamily Sclerurinae, the leaftossers and miners, of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The grey-crowned tanager or grey-crowned palm-tanager is a Near Threatened species of bird in the family Phaenicophilidae, the Hispaniolan tanagers. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Cabanis's wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The speckle-breasted wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The fawn-throated foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.
