Sulawesi eared-nightjar

Eurostopodus diabolicus

Photo by David Beadle (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
Sulawesi eared-nightjar (en); noitibó-diabólico (pt); engoulevent satanique (fr); chotacabras diabólico (es); teufelsnachtschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Caprimulgiformes
Family Caprimulgidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it is confined on the mountain ranges in the north and centre of the island.

Size:
These birds are 26-27 cm long.

Habitat:
The Sulawesi eared-nightjar is found in evergreen rainforests, at altitudes of 250-2.100 m, tolerating at least selective logging.

Diet:
They feed on insects caught in flight, particularly moths and beetles, hunting at twilight and in the night.

Breeding:
Sulawesi eared-nightjars breed in March-October. They nest on the ground, in forest clearing with some fern and moss cover, where the female lays a single cream-coloured with with brown speckles. There is no information regarding the incubation period, but the chick fledges about 30 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species seems to have a small breeding range, although it may be more widespread and overlooked. The population is estimated at 2.500-10.000 individuals and suspected to be declining at a moderate rate, mostly due to forest habitat loss and fragmentation at lower altitudes, owing to land clearance for transmigration settlements, shifting cultivation, plantation agriculture and large-scale logging. The forests at higher altitudes are currently relatively secure.

Fiery-necked nightjar

Caprimulgus pectoralis

Photo by Dave Maguire (Wikipedia)

Common name:
fiery-necked nightjar (en); noitibó-de-pescoço-dourado (pt); engoulevent musicien (fr); chotacabras músico (es); pfeifnachtschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Caprimulgiformes
Family Caprimulgidae

Range:
This African species is found from southern Kenya and Tanzania, though southern D.R. Congo and Angola, and into northern Namibia, Zimbabwe, eastern Botswana and eastern South Africa down to the cape.

Size:
These birds are 22-24 cm long and weigh 35-70 g.

Habitat:
The fiery-necked nightjar is mostly found in dry savannas and woodlands with dense leaf litter for nesting and roosting, but also in dry scrublands, grasslands, plantations and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They are insectivorous and hunt from dusk to dawn, mainly eating beetles and moths, but also cockroaches, termites, lacewings, grasshoppers, bees, wasps, ants, flies, bugs and scale-insects.

Breeding:
Fiery-necked nightjars are monogamous and mate for life. The nest is a simple depression in the ground, usually in and surrounded by dense leaf litter, where the female lays 2 eggs. The eggs are incubated by both sexes for about 18-19 days, with the female incubating during the day while the male takes the night shift. The chicks are cared for by both parents. They start walking around the nest about 8 days after hatching, only being able to fly 3 weeks later. The parents usually desert their territory and chicks when they reach 30 days of age, but the brood only leaves the territory approximately 5 months later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as generally quite common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Spotted nightjar

Eurostopodus argus

Photo by Lindsay Hansch (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
spotted nightjar (en); noitibó-malhado (pt); engoulevent argus (fr); chotacabras argos (es); Argusnachtschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Caprimulgiformes
Family Caprimulgidae

Range:
This species is found throughout most of Australia, with the exception of the eastern coast from central Queensland to south-eastern South Australia. The more southern population migrate north to winter in northern Australia, the Indonesian islands in the Banda Sea and possibly also in New Guinea.

Size:
These birds are 27-35 cm long and weigh 75-130 g.

Habitat:
The spotted nightjar is mainly found in open woodlands, savannas and grasslands, but also in Acacia scrublands and mangroves.

Diet:
They mainly feed on insects and other arthropods, which they usually catch in flight at very low altitudes, just 20-30 cm above the ground. They sometimes also forage on the ground.

Breeding:
Spotted nightjars breed in August-February. They don't build a nest, laying the egg on bare soil or among the leaf litter. The female lays a single greenish, olive or yellowish egg with purple spots, which is incubated by both parents for 29-33 days. The chick will make its first flight attempts 15-20 days after hatching, but only becomes independent about 30 days after hatching. As soon as the young leave the nest the female may lay another egg and each pair may raise 1-3 chicks per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as widespread but only locally abundant. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Rufous-cheeked nightjar

Caprimulgus rufigena

(Photo from River's Wild Notes)

Common name:
rufous-cheeked nightjar (en); noitibó-de-faces-ruivas (pt); engoulevent à joues rousses (fr); chotacabras carirrojo (es); rostwangen-nachtschwalbe (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Caprimulgiformes
Family Caprimulgidae


Range:
This African species is found from Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe, through Namibia and Botswana and into South Africa and western Mozambique.


Size:
These birds are 24 cm long and weigh 50-60 g.


Habitat:
The rufous-cheeked nightjar is mostly found in dry savannas and open mopane and miombo woodlands, but also in dry scrubland, freshwater marshes, plantations and arable land. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.600 m.


Diet:
They are strictly insectivorous, taking beetles, butterflies and moths, cockroaches, termites, mantids, lacewings, grasshoppers, wasps and ants.


Breeding:
Rufous-cheeked nightjars breed in September-March. They nest in a natural, shallow depressions in coarse soil, where the female lays 1-2 light reddish-brown eggs with lilac markings. The eggs are incubated for 15-17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18-20 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. The rufous-cheeked nightjar is in fact tolerant of areas disturbed by humans.