Little Nightjar
Setopagis parvula
Small nightjar; streaked gray, brown, and rufous above with a white throat and buff collar. Males have a white wing band near the tip and pale central tail feathers, absent in females. Resembles Spot-tailed Nightjar, which has a well-marked buffy neck and lacks the white throat and white wing patches. Found in variety of open habitats including pastures, bushy areas, and forest edges. The song is an odd, memorable, descending “drui-dro-dro-dro-dro-dro.”
Identification
The little nightjar is 19 to 21 cm (7.5 to 8.3 in) long and weighs 25 to 46.5 g (0.88 to 1.6 oz). The male is generally grayish brown with buff, brown, and blackish brown spots and streaks. The belly is buff with brown bars. Its hindneck has a broad but indistinct buff collar, the chin is buffy, and the throat is white. Its wing has a broad white band and the outer tail feathers have white tips. The female is similar but its throat is buff and it does not have white on the wing and tail.
Taxonomy
The little nightjar was described as Caprimulgus parvulus but since the early 2010s has been placed in its current genus Setopagis. At various times what are now Todd's nightjar (Setopagis heterura) and Anthony's nightjar (Nyctidromus anthonyi) were considered subspecies of little nightjar, but it is now treated as monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Setopagis parvula
- Authority
- (Gould, 1837)
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Caprimulgidae
- Genus
- Setopagis
Range and habitat
The little nightjar is found from eastern Peru across Bolivia and central and northeastern Brazil to the Atlantic coast, and south through southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay to central Argentina. One vagrant has been recorded in Aruba. In much of the southern part of its range, and possibly in Peru, it is believed to be migratory, moving north and east during the austral winter. It inhabits brushy savanna and the interior and edges of open woodland and forest. It can also be found in plantations of non-native Eucalyptus. In elevation it ranges from sea level in the east to about 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in Bolivia.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Nesotriccus tumbezanus
Small, drab flycatcher of dry forest and desert scrub in northwestern Peru and southwestern Ecuador. Plumage is gray and brown, lacking yellow tones, with brown wingbars and a pale eye stripe. Round crown and lack of crest help separate it from Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet and Gray-and-white Tyrannulet. Very similar to Marañon Tyrannulet (they were formerly considered to be the same species and called Mouse-colored Tyrannulet). Differences are very subtle, and range is often the best clue. Tumbes Tyrannulet is found primarily in the western lowlands, reaching only into the lower foothills of the Andes. Vocalizations tend to be shorter and more abrupt than those of Marañon Tyrannulet, and include a quick “widichit!” and “peedit!” as well as various sharp squeaks and rasps.
Velvet Flycatcher
Myiagra eichhorni
Male is entirely glossy black with a slightly erect crest. Female has a rufous back and pale underparts; head color varies between islands, being dark on New Ireland, New Hanover, and New Britain, and pale on Djaul. Prefers primary forest and undisturbed second growth. Song is a series of loud, piercing whistles. Call is a buzzing nasal churr.
Pied Triller
Lalage nigra
Handsome bird which looks like a slender thrush. Black-and-white male is distinctive, with a white brow, extensive white wing patches, and clean white underparts. Female and juvenile are grungier-looking, with gray-brown replacing much of the black and rather dingy, dirty-looking underparts. Inhabits lowland and foothill forests, parks, and gardens. Contrary to its name, this bird does not usually trill; rather, it gives a range of low notes, particularly a nasal “checka-checkuh” and a rapid series of rattling, clacking, or whistled notes.
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