Nightjar
From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids
 Common Nighthawk, Chordeiles minor, and Whip-poor-will, Caprimulgus vociferus
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Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills that usually nest on the ground. Nightjars are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats (the Latin for goatsucker is Caprimulgus). Some North American species are named as nighthawks.
Nightjars are found around the world. They are mostly active in the late evening and early morning or at night, and feed predominantly on moths and other large flying insects.
Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically coloured to resemble bark or leaves. Some species, unusually for birds, perch along a branch, rather than across it. This helps to conceal them during the day.
The Common Poorwill, Phalaenoptilus nuttallii is unique as a bird that undergoes a form of hibernation, becoming torpid and with a much reduced body temperature for weeks or months.
Nightjars lay one or two patterned eggs directly onto bare ground.
Traditionally, nightjars have been divided into two subfamilies: the Caprimulginae, or typical nightjars with about 70 species, and the Chordeilinae, or nighthawks of the New World with about 8 species. The two groups are similar in most respects, but the typical nightjars have rictal bristles, longer bills, and softer plumage. In their pioneering
Subsequent work, both morphological and genetic, has provided support for the separation of the typical and the eared nightjars, and some authorities have adopted this Sibley-Ahlquist recommendation, and also the more far-reaching one to group all the owls (traditionally Strigiformes) together in the
[edit] Species
- Subfamily Chordeilinae (New World nighthawks)
- Band-tailed Nighthawk, Nyctiprogne leucopyga
- Nacunda Nighthawk, Podager nacunda
- Rufous-bellied Nighthawk, Lurocalis rufiventris
- Short-tailed Nighthawk, Lurocalis semitorquatus
- Antillean Nighthawk, Chordeiles gundlachii
- Lesser Nighthawk, Chordeiles acutipennis
- Common Nighthawk, Chordeiles minor
- Least Nighthawk, Chordeiles pusillus
- Sand-colored Nighthawk, Chordeiles rupestris
- Subfamily Caprimulginae (typical nightjars)
- Egyptian Nightjar, Caprimulgus aegyptius
- Scrub Nightjar, Caprimulgus anthonyi
- Yucatan Nightjar, Caprimulgus badius
- Bates's Nightjar, Caprimulgus batesi
- Brown Nightjar, Caprimulgus binotatus
- White-winged Nightjar, Caprimulgus candicans
- Chuck-will's-widow Caprimulgus carolinensis
- White-tailed Nightjar, Caprimulgus cayennensis
- Sulawesi Nightjar, Caprimulgus celebensis
- Vaurie's Nightjar, Caprimulgus centralasicus
- Slender-tailed Nightjar, Caprimulgus clarus
- Long-tailed Nightjar, Caprimulgus climacurus
- Bonaparte's Nightjar, Caprimulgus concretus
- Greater Antillean Nightjar, Caprimulgus cubanensis
- Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar, Caprimulgus donaldsoni
- Collared Nightjar, Caprimulgus enarratus
- Golden Nightjar, Caprimulgus eximius
- Square-tailed Nightjar, Caprimulgus fossii
- Sombre Nightjar, Caprimulgus fraenatus
- Pygmy Nightjar, Caprimulgus hirundinaceus
- Plain Nightjar, Caprimulgus inornatus
- Band-winged Nightjar, Caprimulgus longirostris
- Large-tailed Nightjar, Caprimulgus macrurus
- Spot-tailed Nightjar, Caprimulgus maculicaudus
- Madagascar Nightjar, Caprimulgus madagascariensis
- Philippine Nightjar, Caprimulgus manillensis
- Swamp Nightjar, Caprimulgus natalensis
- Blackish Nightjar, Caprimulgus nigrescens
- Black-shouldered Nightjar, Caprimulgus nigriscapularis
- Nubian Nightjar, Caprimulgus nubicus
- Little Nightjar, Caprimulgus parvulus
- Fiery-necked Nightjar, Caprimulgus pectoralis
- Montane Nightjar, Caprimulgus poliocephalus
- Salvadori's Nightjar, Caprimulgus pulchellus
- Buff-collared Nightjar, Caprimulgus ridgwayi
- Rufous-cheeked Nightjar, Caprimulgus rufigena
- Rufous Nightjar, Caprimulgus rufus
- Ruwenzori Nightjar, Caprimulgus ruwenzorii
- Tawny-collared Nightjar, Caprimulgus salvini
- Dusky Nightjar, Caprimulgus saturatus
- Silky-tailed Nightjar, Caprimulgus sericocaudatus
- Star-spotted Nightjar, Caprimulgus stellatus
- Freckled Nightjar, Caprimulgus tristigma
- Whip-poor-will, Caprimulgus vociferus
- Roraiman Nightjar, Caprimulgus whitelyi
- Scissor-tailed Nightjar, Hydropsalis brasiliana
- Ladder-tailed Nightjar, Hydropsalis climacocerca
- Pennant-winged Nightjar, Macrodipteryx vexillarius
- Long-trained Nightjar, Macropsalis creagra
- Eared Poorwill, Nyctiphrynus mcleodii
- Ocellated Poorwill, Nyctiphrynus ocellatus
- Yucatan Poorwill, Nyctiphrynus yucatanicus
- Common Poorwill, Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
- Jamaican Pauraque, Siphonorhis americana (extinct; rumors of survival)
- Least Pauraque, Siphonorhis brewsteri
- Cuban Parauque, Siphonorhis daiquiri (extinct; rumors of survival)
- Lyre-tailed Nightjar, Uropsalis lyra
- Swallow-tailed Nightjar, Uropsalis segmentata
- Sickle-winged Nightjar, Eleothreptus anomalus
- Subfamily
- Mountain Eared Nightjar, Eurostopodus archboldi
- Spotted Eared Nightjar, Eurostopodus argus
- Great Eared Nightjar, Eurostopodus macrotis
- White-throated Eared Nightjar, Eurostopodus mystacalis
- Papuan Eared Nightjar, Eurostopodus papuensis
- Malaysian Eared Nightjar, Eurostopodus temminckii
[edit] External links
- Nightjar videos on the Internet Bird Collection