Eared nightjar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Eubot (talk | contribs) at 00:55, 1 March 2008 (Removed taxobox colour. See User:Eubot/Removing colours from taxoboxen.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Eared-nightjars
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Eurostopodidae
Genus:
Eurostopodus

Species
  • see text

The Eared-nightjars are a small family of birds related to nightjars. There are seven species, mainly found in forest and scrub from China to Australia. There is but one genus, Eurostopodus. Previously, they were considered a subfamily Eurostopodinae of the nightjar and nighthawk family Caprimulgidae.

Although similar to the nightjars, an important difference is the lack of bristles around the beak.

They are mainly solitary, and eat insects on the wing in the twilight, whistling constantly.

The nest, in which only one egg is laid, is a simple affair of dry leaves, often at the foot of a tree, where it is protected by the adult's excellent camouflage.

Species: