Short-tailed nighthawk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Short-tailed nighthawk
Lurocalis semitorquatus - Short-tailed Nighthawk; Botanic Garden, São Paulo, Brazil.jpg

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Caprimulgiformes
Family: Caprimulgidae
Genus: Lurocalis
Species:
L. semitorquatus
Binomial name
Lurocalis semitorquatus
(Gmelin, 1789)
Lurocalis semitorquatus range map.png
   Approximate range map
of short-tailed nighthawk

The short-tailed nighthawk (Lurocalis semitorquatus) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Mexico, in every Central American country except El Salvador, in Trinidad and Tobago, and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.[2][3]

Taxonomy and systematics[]

The short-tailed nighthawk has these four subspecies:[2]

Subspecies L. s. nattereri has been suggested as a separate species, but genetic data confirm its present status. A previously recognized subspecies, L. s. noctivagus, was merged into L. s. stonei. The rufous-bellied nighthawk (L. rufiventris) was formerly treated as a subspecies of short-tailed nighthawk, and the two of them are the only members of genus Lurocalis.[4][5]

LurocalisSemitorquatusGray.jpg

Description[]

The short-tailed nighthawk is 19 to 21 cm (7.5 to 8.3 in) long. One L. s. semitorquatusfemale weighed 79 g (2.8 oz) and several L. s. nattereri males weighed 82 to 89 g (2.9 to 3.1 oz). This is a rather large nightjar with an unusually short tail. Its upperparts are dark brown to blackish with rufous and buff spots and speckles. The wings are also dark brown with muted spots of several colors, an unlike most other nighthawks, do not have bold white markings. The tail is brown with tawny or grayish bars and a narrow buffy or whitish band at the end. The chin is dark brown, the throat white, the upper breast dark brown with lighter speckles, the lower breast buff with brown bars, and the belly and flanks tawny buff with brown bars. The subspecies differ somewhat in size and in the extent and intensity of the spots, speckles, and bars that overlay the ground color.[5]

Distribution and habitat[]

The subspecies of short-tailed nighthawk are distributed thus:[2][5]

  • L. s. nattereri, eastern Ecuador, northern and eastern Peru, Amazonian Brazil south of the Amazon River, and northern and eastern Bolivia; southern Paraguay, northern Argentina, and southeastern Brazil.
  • L. s. schaeferi, northern Venezuela's Aragua state.
  • L. s. semitorquatus, eastern Colombia and western and southern Venezuela through the Guianas into extreme northwestern Brazil; those in Trindada and Tobago are also probably this subspecies.
  • L. s. stonei, southeastern Mexico through southern Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and western Colombia into northwestern Ecuador.

The short-tailed nighthawk primarily inhabits lowland evergreen forest but also is found in more open landscapes such as clearings, river edges, old cacao plantations, and middle-aged secondary forest.[5]

Behavior[]

Movement[]

The northern populations of short-tailed nighthawk are generally resident though the seasonal distribution of subspecies in Amazonia is not well known. The southerly ones are migratory and may move as far north as Venezuela during the austral winter.[5]

Feeding[]

The short-tailed nighthawk is an aerial insectivore that forages mostly at dusk. Though its diet has not been studied in detail it is known to include beetles and true bugs. It is usually seen singly or in pairs but sometimes forages in small flocks. Its flight is "rapid and erratic" and has been compared to a bat's. It roosts in trees, lengthwise on a thick branch.[5]

Breeding[]

The short-tailed nighthawk, with its former subspecies the rufous-bellied nightjar, are the only members of their family known to nest in trees. It lays its single egg on a large horizontal branch without using any added material.[5]

Dickcissel male perched on a metal pole singing, with neck stretched and beak open.

Songs and calls
Listen to short-tailed nighthawk on xeno-canto

Vocalization[]

The short-tailed nighthawk's most common vocalization varies slightly among subspecies, and has been described as a "constantly repeated but well-spaced ewIT ... ewIT ... ewIT ..." (L. s. nattereri) and "a sharp, slightly liquid g'wik or gweek" (L. s. stonei). It is given both when perched and in flight.[5]

Status[]

The IUCN has assessed the short-tailed nighthawk as being of Least Concern. It has a large range and a large population, though the latter is thought to be decreasing. No threats other than local deforestation have been identified.[1][5]

References[]

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2020). "Short-tailed Nighthawk Lurocalis semitorquatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.2)". Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  3. ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved August 24, 2021
  4. ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Arizmendi, M. d. C., C. I. Rodríguez-Flores, C. A. Soberanes-González, H. Batcheller, and T. S. Schulenberg (2020). Short-tailed Nighthawk (Lurocalis semitorquatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.shtnig1.01 retrieved October 5, 2021
Retrieved from ""