Cuban Nightjar - BirdForum Opus

Photo by rb_stern
Cuba, February 2009

Antrostomus cubanensis

Caprimulgus cubanensis

Identification

25–29·5 cm

• Blackish-brown upper­parts
• Buff throat collar
• Pale spots on breast surrounded by narrow brownish borders, giving a mostly pale impression
• Buff tips to outer tail feather in female, white in male
• Lacks white in wing

Distribution

Caribbean: endemic to Cuba.

Taxonomy

The former Greater Antillean Nightjar was split into this species and Hispaniolan Nightjar.

It was formerly placed in the genus Caprimulgus.

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• A. c. cubanensis:

• Cuba

• A. c. insulaepinorum (slightly smaller):

• Isle of Pines and Cayo Coco

Habitat

Open woodland, woodland in swamp edges and riversides. Found up to 600 m asl.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists almost entirely of insects.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2) DRAFT. Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
3. Avibase
4. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved August 2014)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Cuban Nightjar. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cuban_Nightjar

External Links

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