Rufous Nightjar

The rufous nightjar is 25 to 30 cm (9.8 to 12 in) long. Males weight 88 to 98 g (3.1 to 3.5 oz) and females 89 to 98 g (3.1 to 3.5 oz). It is almost entirely reddish brown, with a buff collar on the sides and back of the neck and a white band under the throat. The upperparts have dark brown streaks, the wings are spotted and barred with dark brown, and the underparts are speckled with dark brown and white. The wings have no white, unlike those of many others of its family. The outer three pairs of tail feathers of the male have a large white spot at the end; those of the female have a pale buff tip. The subspecies differ somewhat in the intensity of the various colors and the size and extent of spots and speckles. A. r. saltarius, however, is significantly grayer than the others.

The rufous nightjar has a highly discontinuous distribution. The subspecies are found thus:

A. r. minimus, southern Costa Rica, Panama, and east along the Caribbean coasts of Colombia and Venezuela to Trinidad A. r. rufus, discontinuously in eastern Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname, and central Brazil A. r. otiosus, St. Lucia (Lesser Antilles) A. r. rutilus, southeastern Bolivia and central Brazil south to Paraguay and northeastern Argentina A. r. saltarius, southern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) also places the species in Ecuador and Peru but does not note which subspecies are there. The St. Lucia endemic subspecies of rufous nightjar (A. r. otiosus) inhabits dry scrub. The other subspecies inhabit a wide variety of landscapes from scrublands to primary and secondary forest. The landscapes vary in humidity from the dry Gran Chaco to the humid Amazon basin.

The rufous nightjar is most active at dawn and dusk. It roosts during the day, either on a low perch or on the ground under thick vegetation.

Feeding. The rufous nightjar forages by sallies from a low perch such as a branch or fencepost. Its diet is insects though details are lacking.

Breeding. The rufous nightjar lays its clutch of one or two eggs on bare ground without a conventional nest. It is usually hidden in low vegetation. The female incubates during the day.

Vocalization. The rufous nightjar's song has been interpreted by several authors; two examples are "a loud, staccato chup, whi-whi-RIoh or chuck whip-his-WIDdow, repeated fairly rapidly" and "an energetic, rhythmic chuck, wick-wick-WEEoo." The song is usually given from a perch at any level up to 20 m (66 ft) above the ground.