Spot-tailed Nightjar (Hydropsalis maculicaudus)

Identification & Behavior: ~20 cm (7.8 in). The Spot-tailed Nightjar has rows of buff and whitish spots on the wing coverts. The scapulars are dusky fringed with buff. It has a rufous to buff collar more noticeable on the sides and back of the neck. Both sexes show a dusky patch on the malar area and dusky top of the head bordered by buffy superciliary. The underside of the tail in the male is gray with white specks and a white terminal band. The tail in the female is barred with reduced tail spots. It favors forest edges, riverside scrub, and other open habitats. Also, see Little Nightjar.

Status: The Spot-tailed Nightjar is uncommon in disjunct populations along the foothill of the Andes and adjacent Amazonian lowlands. The Spot-tailed Nightjar also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Chotacabras de Cola Punteada.

Sub-species: Spot-tailed Nightjar (Hydropsalis maculicaudus) (Lawrence), 1862.

Meaning of Name: Hydropsalis: Gr. Hudro, hudatos= water and psalidos= pair of scissors.
maculicaudus: L. macula= spot and cauda= tail.

See more of the Family Caprimulgidae