Nightjar

Nightjar
	Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus )
Systematics
Order :	Swallow-like (Caprimulgiformes)
Family :	Nightjar (Caprimulgidae)
Subfamily :	Caprimulginae
Genre :	Goat milker ( Caprimulgus )
Type :	Nightjar
Scientific name
	Caprimulgus poliocephalus
	Rüppell , 1840

The nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus ) is a species of bird from the nightjar family (Caprimulgidae).

It occurs in Angola , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Eritrea , Yemen , Malawi , Zambia , Saudi Arabia , Tanzania and Uganda .

Their distribution area mainly includes mountain forest and its edges, higher-lying tree-covered areas between 1500 and 3000 m.

description

The nightjar is 22–24 cm tall and weighs between 41 and 57 g. It is relatively dark, in the male there are white spots on the four hand wings, outer control feathers are largely white, in the female less white, more yellow-brown. The parting is gray. There are white spots on the side of the throat.

voice

The call of the male is described as a two-tone whistling “peuu-eee, pe-uu-uu-uu” with an undulating first tone.

Geographic variation

The following subspecies are recognized:

C. p. poliocephalus Rüppell , 1840 - Abyssinian Nightjar - Ethiopia, Tanzania to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Eritrea, Uganda
C. p. ruwenzorii Ogilvie-Grant , 1909 - Montane Nightjar - Uganda to Democratic Republic of the Congo
C. p. koesteri Neumann , 1931 - Angola
C. p. guttifer Grote , 1921 - Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia

Way of life

The diet consists of moths , beetles , termites and grasshoppers .

The breeding season is between March and May in Saudi Arabia, between January and May in Ethiopia and between September and January in Sudan, Uganda and Kenya.

Hazardous situation

The night swallow is not considered to be endangered ( least concern ).

Individual evidence

↑ Avibase ( Memento from September 18, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Handbook of the Birds of the World
^ ^A ^b ^c T. Stevenson, J. Fanshawe: Birds of East Africa. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi,, Princeton University Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-691-12665-4
^ IUCN Redlist

Web links

Commons : Nightjar - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Videos, photos and sound recordings of Caprimulgus poliocephalus in the Internet Bird Collection

[avibase-1] Avibase ( Memento from September 18, 2011 in the Internet Archive )

[HBW-2] Handbook of the Birds of the World

[Stevenson-3] A ^b ^c T. Stevenson, J. Fanshawe: Birds of East Africa. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi,, Princeton University Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-691-12665-4

[4] IUCN Redlist