Red-necked Nightjar
Encyclopedia
The Red-necked Nightjar, Caprimulgus ruficollis, is the largest of the nightjar
s occurring in Europe
. It breeds in Iberia
and north Africa
, and winters
in tropical west Africa.
-like flight; its strong and deliberate wingbeats alternate with graceful sweeps and wheels with motionless wings. Crepuscular insects, such as moth
s, are its food.
. The adult is lichen-grey, barred and streaked with buff, chestnut and black. The underparts are barred. It is larger and longer-tailed than the more widespread species, and has a rufous neck-collar. Both sexes have white wing spots, tail sides and throat. During the day this nightjar lies silent upon the ground, concealed by its plumage; it is difficult to detect, looking like a bit of lichen-covered twig or a fragment of bark. The length is 32 cm, and the wingspan 64 cm. Like other nightjars, it has a wide gape, long wings, soft downy plumage and nocturnal habits.
: nominate ruficollis, breeding in Iberia
, and desertorum breeding in North Africa
. The North African form desertorum is paler than the Iberian one, and has different patterning on the base of its primary feathers: dark and orange bands of approximately equal width, compared to the narrowere orange bands and greater extent of black of ruficollis.
on 5 October by a gamekeeper
, and the specimen purchased by John Hancock. In 2006, Keith Vinicombe
and Dominic Mitchell cast doubt on the British record, believing that the lack of detail around the circumstances of finding indicated that a mistake or fraud could not be ruled out. The British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee subsequently re-examined the record and came to the conclusion that it should continue to be regarded as acceptable. The British record is a first-autumn bird of the Iberia
n race ruficollis, and the Danish record also appears to be of this form; earlier suggestions that the British bird was of the North African race desertorum were erroneous - the specimen's paleness being due to fading whilst on public display at the Hancock Museum
. There are also several nineteenth-century European records from outside the species' normal breeding range: from southeast France, Malta, the Canary Islands, Croatia, Israel and Sicily.
Nightjar
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills. They are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats . Some New World species are named as nighthawks...
s occurring in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It breeds in Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
and north Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and winters
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
in tropical west Africa.
Habitat
Open sandy heaths with trees or bushes are the haunts of this crepuscular Nightjar. It flies at dusk, most often at sundown, with an easy, silent mothMoth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
-like flight; its strong and deliberate wingbeats alternate with graceful sweeps and wheels with motionless wings. Crepuscular insects, such as moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s, are its food.
Physical appearance
The variegated plumage resembles the European NightjarEuropean Nightjar
The European Nightjar, or just Nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus, is the only representative of the nightjar family of birds in most of Europe and temperate Asia.- Habitat and distribution :...
. The adult is lichen-grey, barred and streaked with buff, chestnut and black. The underparts are barred. It is larger and longer-tailed than the more widespread species, and has a rufous neck-collar. Both sexes have white wing spots, tail sides and throat. During the day this nightjar lies silent upon the ground, concealed by its plumage; it is difficult to detect, looking like a bit of lichen-covered twig or a fragment of bark. The length is 32 cm, and the wingspan 64 cm. Like other nightjars, it has a wide gape, long wings, soft downy plumage and nocturnal habits.
Call
Its call is a repetitive mechanical kyok-kyok-kyok..., which rises and falls as the bird turns its head from side to side. When it churrs, the bird lies or crouches along a branch or rail, but it will sing from a post. During courtship, and occasionally at other times, it uses a mechanical signal, a sharp cracking sound, caused by clapping the wings together over the back.Nesting
It is a late migrant, seldom appearing in the breeding area before the end of April or beginning of May. No nest is made; the two elongated and elliptical eggs are placed upon the bare ground; the brooding bird, sitting closely, is their best protection.Taxonomy
There are two subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
: nominate ruficollis, breeding in Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, and desertorum breeding in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. The North African form desertorum is paler than the Iberian one, and has different patterning on the base of its primary feathers: dark and orange bands of approximately equal width, compared to the narrowere orange bands and greater extent of black of ruficollis.
Vagrancy
The species has occurred as a vagrant twice in northern Europe, in Northumberland, Britain in October 1856, and in Denmark in 1991. The Northumberland bird was shot at KillingworthKillingworth
Killingworth, formerly Killingworth Township, is a town north of Newcastle Upon Tyne, in North Tyneside, United Kingdom.Built as a planned town in the 1960s, most of Killingworth's residents commute to Newcastle, or the city's surrounding area. However, Killingworth itself has a sizeable...
on 5 October by a gamekeeper
Gamekeeper
A gamekeeper is a person who manages an area of countryside to make sure there is enough game for shooting, or fish for angling, and who actively manages areas of woodland, moorland, waterway or farmland for the benefit of game birds, deer, fish and wildlife in general.Typically, a gamekeeper is...
, and the specimen purchased by John Hancock. In 2006, Keith Vinicombe
Keith Vinicombe
Keith E. Vinicombe is a British ornithologist and writer on bird identification.Vinicombe is best-known for his first book, the Macmillan Field Guide to Bird Identification...
and Dominic Mitchell cast doubt on the British record, believing that the lack of detail around the circumstances of finding indicated that a mistake or fraud could not be ruled out. The British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee subsequently re-examined the record and came to the conclusion that it should continue to be regarded as acceptable. The British record is a first-autumn bird of the Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
n race ruficollis, and the Danish record also appears to be of this form; earlier suggestions that the British bird was of the North African race desertorum were erroneous - the specimen's paleness being due to fading whilst on public display at the Hancock Museum
Hancock Museum
The Hancock Museum is a museum of natural history in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, established in 1884. In 2006 it merged with Newcastle University's Hatton Gallery to form the Great North Museum. The museum and all of its collections are owned by the Natural History Society of Northumbria,...
. There are also several nineteenth-century European records from outside the species' normal breeding range: from southeast France, Malta, the Canary Islands, Croatia, Israel and Sicily.