Difference between revisions of "European Nightjar" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 00:53, 21 November 2021

Alternative name: Eurasian Nightjar
Includes Vaurie's Nightjar

Photo © by picus
Carmine Bivio, Italy, June 2006

Caprimulgus europaeus

Identification

Presumably a female due to lack of white primary patch
Photo © by Digiscoper321
West Sweden, May 2018

24·5–28 cm (9½-11 in)
Male

Plumage is heavily streaked with buff, chestnut and black
Underparts are barred
White areas on primaries and outer tail feathers
Black bill
Legs: reddish brown

Female similar, but lacks the white spots on wings and tail.
In the Juvenile these areas are buff.

Distribution

Widespread summer visitor to much of the region. Breeds in Ireland (rare) and southern Britain. In the north reaches south-east Norway and southern parts of Sweden and Finland, and across Russia north to about 62 degrees N. Also breeds south to Morocco to Tunisia in North-West Africa and along the Mediterranean and on most larger islands, throughout Turkey and the Caucasus. East of there, range goes east to eastern Mongolia and China. Range patchy and discontinuous in much of North-Western Europe and still in decline in many areas.

Begins to leave breeding areas in late July, by early October most have left for sub-Saharan Africa (this includes even birds breeding in east Asia). The spring return movement is mainly April-May, rarely earlier.

Vagrant north to Iceland and Faroes, and west to the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands.

Taxonomy

Genetic analysis of the sole specimen of Vaurie's Nightjar Caprimulgus centralasicus, known from a 1960 specimen from western Xinjiang, strongly suggests that this is not a separate species, but instead is an example of European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus; it has therefore been lumped into the present species. 'Vaurie's Nightjar' probably represents an example of subspecies plumipes, but it can not be assigned to any specific subspecies of Eurasian Nightjar based on the available data^[3].

Subspecies

Several subspecies occur in the Region differing slightly in size, ground colour and amount of white in wings of male. Other less differentiated races are found in the east of the Region but there is much intergradation and variation occurs within, as well as between, races.

There are 6 subspecies^[1]:

C. e. europaeus:

Northern and central Europe to northern Asia and Lake Baikal area; winters to Africa

C. e. meridionalis: generally smaller and paler

Mediterranean basin to north-western Iran and Caspian Sea

C. e. sarudnyi:

Eastern side of Caspian Sea (Kazakstan) to Altai Mountains

C. e. unwini:

Iraq and Iran to western Tien Shan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

C. e. plumipes:

North-western China to western Mongolia

C. e. dementievi:

North-eastern Mongolia and southern Transbaikalia

Habitat

Dry open woodland and woodland edge, usually pine but also birch or oak, heathland and moorland with scattered trees, young forestry plantations and chalk downland. In some areas found on stony steppe country with sparse vegetation.

Behaviour

Nocturnal.

Breeding

Ground nesters.

Diet

Hawks for moths and other night-flying insects.

Vocalisation

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Cleere, N., D. A. Christie, and P. C. Rasmussen (2021). Eurasian Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (P. C. Rasmussen, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.eurnig1.01.1
Schweizer et al. 2020 A molecular analysis of the mysterious Vaurie’s Nightjar Caprimulgus centralasicus yields fresh insight into its taxonomic status

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) European Nightjar. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/European_Nightjar

External Links

Search for photos of European Nightjar in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-;Caprimulgus europaeus
+'''Alternative name: Eurasian Nightjar'''<br />
-[[Image:Eurasian_Nightjar.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo taken by Picus in Carmine Bivio, Italy]]
+'''Includes Vaurie's Nightjar'''
+[[Image:Eurasian_Nightjar.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|picus|picus}}<br />Carmine Bivio, [[Italy]], June 2006]]
+;[[:Category:Caprimulgus|Caprimulgus]] europaeus
 ==Identification==
-The plumage of the adult Nightjar is lichen-grey, barred and streaked with buff, chestnut and black. The under parts are barred. White spots on primaries and white tips to the outer tail feathers are characters of the male; in the young male these are buff. The bill is black, the legs reddish brown.
+[[Image:Nightjar15.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Presumably a female due to lack of white primary patch<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Digiscoper321|Digiscoper321}}<br />West [[Sweden]], May 2018]]
+·5–28 cm (9½-11 in)<br />
-The variegated plumage resembles that of the Wryneck, its wide gape and long wings are like a swift’s, and its soft downy plumage and nocturnal habits are akin to an owls. The length is 26cm, and the wingspan 55cm.
+'''Male'''
+*Plumage is heavily streaked with buff, chestnut and black
-The male may be told from the female by the white spots on his wings and tail, and as he gracefully floats above her, with wings upraised at a sharp angle, he spreads his tail wide to show the white spots. On the ground both birds will swing the tail from side to side when excited. The Nightjar does not hunt with open mouth, as often depicted, but the huge gape opens wide for large crepuscular insects, such as noctuid moths and dor-beetles, which are snapped up with avidity. Crepuscular insects are its food.
+*Underparts are barred
+*White areas on primaries and outer tail feathers
+*Black bill
+*Legs: reddish brown<br />
+'''Female''' similar, but lacks the white spots on wings and tail.<br />
+In the '''Juvenile''' these areas are buff.
 ==Distribution==
-Widespread summer visitor to much of the region. Breeds in Ireland (rare) and southern Britain and from Iberia east to the southern Urals and Caspian. In the north reaches south-east Norway and southern parts of Sweden and Finland, and across Russia north to about 62�N. Also breeds south to the Mediterranean and on most larger islands, throughout Turkey and the Caucasus and from Morocco to Tunisia in North-West Africa. Range patchy and discontinuous in much of North-Western Europe and still in decline in many areas.
+Widespread summer visitor to much of the region. Breeds in [[Ireland]] (rare) and southern [[Britain]]. In the north reaches south-east [[Norway]] and southern parts of [[Sweden]] and [[Finland]], and across [[Russia]] north to about 62 degrees N. Also breeds south to [[Morocco]] to [[Tunisia]] in North-West [[Africa]] and along the Mediterranean and on most larger islands, throughout [[Turkey]] and the Caucasus. East of there, range goes east to eastern [[Mongolia]] and [[China]].
+Range patchy and discontinuous in much of North-Western [[Europe]] and still in decline in many areas.
-Begins to leave breeding areas in late July, by early October most have left for sub-Saharan Africa. The spring return movement is mainly April-May, rarely earlier.
+Begins to leave breeding areas in late July, by early October most have left for sub-Saharan Africa (this includes even birds breeding in east [[Asia]]). The spring return movement is mainly April-May, rarely earlier.
-Vagrant north to Iceland and Faroes, and west to the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands.
+Vagrant north to [[Iceland]] and [[Faroes]], and west to the [[Azores]], [[Madeira]] and [[Canary Islands]].
 ==Taxonomy==
-Subspecies Several races occur in the Region differing slightly in size, ground colour and amount of white in wings of male. Nominate race occurs over most of Western Palearctic range replaced in southern Europe, Turkey and North Africa by generally smaller and paler meridionalis. Other less differentiated raced races are found in the east of the Region but there is much intergradation and variation occurs within as well as between races.
+Genetic analysis of the sole specimen of Vaurie's Nightjar ''Caprimulgus centralasicus'', known from a 1960 specimen from western Xinjiang, strongly suggests that this is not a separate species, but instead is an example of European Nightjar ''Caprimulgus europaeus''; it has therefore been lumped into the present species. 'Vaurie's Nightjar' probably represents an example of subspecies plumipes, but it can not be assigned to any specific subspecies of Eurasian Nightjar based on the available data<sup>[[#References|[3]]]</sup>.
+====Subspecies====
+Several subspecies occur in the Region differing slightly in size, ground colour and amount of white in wings of male. Other less differentiated races are found in the east of the Region but there is much intergradation and variation occurs within, as well as between, races.
+There are 6 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
+*''C. e. europaeus'':
+:*Northern and central [[Europe]] to northern [[Asia]] and Lake Baikal area; winters to [[Africa]]
+*''C. e. meridionalis'': generally smaller and paler
+:*[[Mediterranean]] basin to north-western [[Iran]] and Caspian Sea
+*''C. e. sarudnyi'':
+:*Eastern side of Caspian Sea (Kazakstan) to Altai Mountains
+*''C. e. unwini'':
+:*[[Iraq]] and [[Iran]] to western Tien Shan, [[Turkmenistan]] and [[Uzbekistan]]
+*''C. e. plumipes'':
+:*North-western [[China]] to western [[Mongolia]]
+*''C. e. dementievi'':
+:*North-eastern Mongolia and southern Transbaikalia
 ==Habitat==
-Dry open woodland and woodland edge, usually pine but also birch or oak, heathland and moorland with scattered trees, young forestry plantations and chalk downland. In some areas found on stony steppe country with sparse vegetation. Nocturnal
+Dry open woodland and woodland edge, usually pine but also birch or oak, heathland and moorland with scattered trees, young forestry plantations and chalk downland. In some areas found on stony steppe country with sparse vegetation.
 ==Behaviour==
+Nocturnal.
+====Breeding====
+Ground nesters.
+====Diet====
+Hawks for moths and other night-flying insects.
+====Vocalisation====
+{{ Audio|Caprimulgus europaeus (song).mp3 }}
-==Bird Song==
+==References==
-<flashmp3>Caprimulgus europaeus (song).mp3</flashmp3><br />
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug18}}#Cleere, N., D. A. Christie, and P. C. Rasmussen (2021). Eurasian Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (P. C. Rasmussen, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.eurnig1.01.1
-''[[Media:Caprimulgus europaeus (song).mp3|Listen in an external program]]''
+#[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Manuel-Schweizer/publication/340164482_A_molecular_analysis_of_the_mysterious_Vaurie's_Nightjar_Caprimulgus_centralasicus_yields_fresh_insight_into_its_taxonomic_status/links/5e7ca5caa6fdcc139c04cde2/A-molecular-analysis-of-the-mysterious-Vauries-Nightjar-Caprimulgus-centralasicus-yields-fresh-insight-into-its-taxonomic-status.pdf Schweizer et al. 2020] A molecular analysis of the mysterious Vaurie’s Nightjar ''Caprimulgus centralasicus'' yields fresh insight into its taxonomic status
+{{ref}}
 ==External Links==
-*[http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php?mcats=all&what=allfields&si=Caprimulgus+europaeus View more images of Eurasian Nightjar in the gallery]
+{{GSearch|Caprimulgus+europaeus}}
+{{GS-checked}}<br /><br />
-[[Category:Birds]]
+[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Caprimulgus]] [[Category:Bird Songs]]