Rufous-bellied Nighthawk
Lurocalis rufiventris
A nighthawk of forests and clearings in the subtropical zone of the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia. Rather chunky and short-tailed, with intricately patterned upperparts (usually including big white patches in the scapulars) and a tawny-rufous belly. In flight, looks big-headed with rather broad, angular wings and a fairly short, squared-off tail. Usually seen at dusk flying over cloud forest, but can also be seen roosting during the day on horizontal branches (if you’re lucky!) Similar to Short-tailed Nighthawk but found at higher elevations.
Identification
The rufous-bellied nighthawk is 23 to 25 cm (9.1 to 9.8 in) long. Its uppersides and wings are dark brown with rufous and buff spots and speckles. The tail is brown with tawny or grayish brown bars and a pale tip. The chin is dark brown, the throat white, the breast dark brown, and the belly and flanks tawny buff.
Taxonomy
The rufous-bellied nighthawk was described as a species, later was treated as a subspecies of short-tailed nighthawk (Lurocalis semitorquatus), but since at least the late 1990s has been again accepted as a species in its own right. It is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Lurocalis rufiventris
- Authority
- Taczanowski, 1884
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Caprimulgidae
- Genus
- Lurocalis
Range and habitat
The rufous-bellied nighthawk is found in the Andes of western Venezuela, the eastern and central Andes of Colombia, the west side of much of the Ecuadoran Andes, and the east side of the Andes through Ecuador and Peru into Bolivia. It inhabits humid montane cloudforest, in at least Ecuador and Peru at elevations between 1,500 and 3,450 m (4,900 and 11,000 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The rufous-bellied nighthawk is usually found singly or in pairs. It is most active at dusk, and during the day roosts lengthwise on tree branches.<p>The rufous-bellied nighthawk feeds on the wing; though its diet has not been studied it is assumed to be insects.<p>The rufous-bellied nighthawk's breeding phenology has not been studied. It is assumed to be similar to that of its congener, the short-tailed nighthawk, which lays its one egg directly on a horizontal branch.<p>The rufous-bellied nighthawk's song, "a rapidly delivered series of notes that gradually descend in pitch, e.g., kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-ko", is given both in flight and while perched. It has other vocalizations, "a muffled pow, a series of muffled rising coos, and a low growl".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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