Plain Nightjar
Caprimulgus inornatus
A medium-sized, unusually plain nightjar. Overall coloration varies from rufous to brown to gray. Both sexes have a small pale mark in the outer wing, and males have a mostly white outer tail. Breeds mainly in arid savanna, but occurs in a wide variety of open habitats as a migrant and wintering bird. Similar in appearance to several other nightjars, but identified by the combination of overall plainness, lack of white on the throat, and vocalizations. The call is a mechanical trill, higher-pitched than that of Sombre Nightjar, but lower-pitched than that of Long-tailed Nightjar.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].<p>Three subspecies are recognised by some authorities: C. i. inornatus, C. i. malbranti, C. i. ludovicianus[2]
- Scientific name
- Caprimulgus inornatus
- Authority
- Heuglin, 1869
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Caprimulgidae
- Genus
- Caprimulgus
Range and habitat
Sub-Saharan Africa and south-western Arabian Peninsula.<p>Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo<p>Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and recently sighted in Rwanda Akagera national park in March 2022<p>Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia, Yemen Thornscrub.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
King Bird-of-Paradise
Cicinnurus regius
A fairly small bird of lowland and foothill forest and edge. Blue feet and yellow bill. Male has white belly, bright red upperparts down to the upper chest, metallic green breast band with thin yellow line above and 2 tail wires ending in a metallic green, snail-shaped disk. Female is brown with barred underparts. Male unmistakable. Female similar to female Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise, but female King has yellow rather than blue bill. Voice, a descending series of nasal whines.
Striped Crake
Aenigmatolimnas marginalis
Small brown crake with conspicuous striping on the back. The underparts are brown in the male and gray in the female. Both sexes show a buff patch under the tail. Found in marsh and seasonally flooded grassland. Shy, inconspicuous, and generally scarce. Unlikely to be seen by those not expressly looking for it. The call is a long, dry, high-pitched trill.
White-browed Bush-Robin
Tarsiger indicus
Small, furtive, ground-dwelling songbird with thin white eyebrow. Adult males are slaty above and dusky ochre below, with a bright white eyebrow. Female is duller and browner overall, with a thinner eyebrow. Breeds in montane forests, favoring areas with a dense brushy understory, such as dwarf bamboo or Rhododendron. Descends into foothills during the winter, generally in similarly dense habitats. Song is a short burst of pleasant warbled notes, and calls include a rising and mellow “wheet.”
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