Todd's Nightjar
Encyclopedia
The Todd's Nightjar is a species of nightjar
in the Caprimulgidae family. It is found in woodland
and other semi-open habitat
s in northern Colombia
, Venezuela
and Guyana
. The alternative name Santa Marta Nightjar after the Santa Marta Mountains is therefore misleading. It is fairly common in most of its range. It has often been included as a subspecies
of the Little Nightjar
(C. parvulus). The two are visually very similar, but vocally distinctive.
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...
in the Caprimulgidae family. It is found in woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
and other semi-open habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s in northern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
. The alternative name Santa Marta Nightjar after the Santa Marta Mountains is therefore misleading. It is fairly common in most of its range. It has often been included as a subspecies
Subspecies
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...
of the Little Nightjar
Little Nightjar
The Little Nightjar is a species of nightjar in the Caprimulgidae family. It is found in woodland and other semi-open habitats in eastern, central and southern Brazil, eastern Peru, eastern and northern Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina. It is fairly common in most of its range...
(C. parvulus). The two are visually very similar, but vocally distinctive.