Puneet Varma (Editor)

Square tailed nightjar

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Order
  
Caprimulgiformes

Genus
  
Caprimulgus

Higher classification
  
Caprimulgus

Phylum
  
Chordata

Family
  
Caprimulgidae

Scientific name
  
Caprimulgus fossii

Rank
  
Species

Square-tailed nightjar wwwbiodiversityexplorerorgbirdscaprimulgidaei

Similar
  
Nightjar, Bird, Caprimulgus, Slender‑tailed nightjar, Rufous‑cheeked nightjar

Square tailed nightjar caprimulgus fossii


The square-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus fossii) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae which is native to tropical and subtropical woodlands of the Afrotropics. It has an extensive range south of the African equator. Despite not having a completely "square tail", its naming highlights a distinguishing field mark. The similarly plumaged slender-tailed nightjar, found in dry bush country of the tropics, differs namely by its protruding central tail feathers. It is alternatively known as the Gabon nightjar or Mozambique nightjar.

Contents

Square-tailed nightjar Squaretailed Nightjar Bird amp Wildlife Photography by Richard and

Southafricadjaracppmlivesafari 15 apr 2016 square tailed nightjar


Range

Square-tailed nightjar Squaretailed Nightjar

It occurs mainly south of the equator in Africa, but enters the tropics during the northern hemisphere summer. An isolated race occurs in Equatorial Guinea and western Gabon. It is a seasonal visitor to the northern DRC, northern Tanzania, southern Kenya and southern Uganda. It occurs year-round in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Call

Square-tailed nightjar Squaretailed Nightjar

This bird's call is a prolonged churring, which alternates between a fast and slow pace roughly every second. As such it differs from the similar long-tailed and slender-tailed nightjars which produce fast and slow churrs respectively.

Subspecies

Square-tailed nightjar Image Caprimulgus fossii Squaretailed Nightjar BioLibcz

  • C. f. fossii Hartlaub, 1857 – western Gabon and vicinity
  • C. f. welwitschii Bocage, 1867 – mainly inland plateaus, DRC to northern Namibia
  • C. f. mossambicus W.K.H. Peters, 1868 – lowlands and lowveld from the DRC to South Africa
  • C. f. griseoplurus Clancey, 1965 – Kalahari desert and vicinity, seasonal in Botswana

  • Square-tailed nightjar African Bird Club

    Square-tailed nightjar

    References

    Square-tailed nightjar Wikipedia