- Caprimulgus aegyptius
Identification
25cm
- Sandy above with buff and brown bars and streaks
- Sand or white below
- Male has very small white spots on wings
Distribution
South west Asia and north Africa, wintering in tropical Africa.
Northern Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Chad
Eastern Africa: Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia
Middle East: Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Iran
Asia: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China and Pakistan
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- C. a. saharae:
- Morocco to the Nile Delta; winters in western Sahel
- C. a. aegyptius:
An additional subspecies arenicolor is generally considered invalid[2].
Habitat
Open desert.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes moths.
Breeding
The 2 eggs are laid on bare earth.
Vocalisation
Call: repetitive kroo-kroo-kroo.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Egyptian Nightjar. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Egyptian_Nightjar
