Salvadori's Nightjar - BirdForum Opus

Caprimulgus pulchellus

Identification

19-21.5 cm. A sexually dimorphic nightjar.

• Dark brown upperparts and wing-coverts, spotted and barred tawny, cinnamon and buff
• Paler crown and nape, greyer brown central feathers broadly streaked blackish
• Indistinct tawny-buff nuchal collar
• Tawny submoustachial stripe and large white patch on both sides of lower throat
• Tawny, buff and greyish white underparts, barred brown, becoming buff barred brown on lower belly, flanks and undertail-coverts
• Males with small white spot or bar on second to fifth outermost primaries and white tips to two outermost tail feathers
• Female with tawny wing spots and white or buff tips to two outermost tail feathers
• bartelsi is smaller, lacks the nuchal collar and females are more grey

Immatures not described.

Similar species

More heavily spotted and darker than Bonaparte's Nightjar, other sympatric species are larger and paler.

Distribution

Patchily distributed in Sumatra and Java, Indonesia.
A rare restricted-range species. Only known from a few sites in Sumatra. Threatened by ongoing habitat loss.

Taxonomy

Two subspecies recognized:

• C. p. pulchellus in Sumatra
• C. p. bartelsi in Java

Habitat

Moist montane forests, often on cliffs and cliff faces. Also sometimes in small marshy areas.
Occurs at 800 to 2100 m on Java, at 1350 to 2200 m on Sumatra.

Behaviour

A poorly known species.

Diet

Feeds probably on insects. Recorded foraging near cliffs and over forest clearings.

Breeding

Breeding season from late March to May in Java. One nest-site was found under a tea bush. Lays 1 to 2 eggs. No further information.

Movements

Presumably a sedentary species.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2014)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Salvadori's Nightjar. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 November 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Salvadori%27s_Nightjar

External Links

Search for photos of Salvadori's Nightjar in the gallery