Band-tailed Nighthawk

About the Band-tailed Nighthawk

The band-tailed nighthawk (Nyctiprogne leucopyga) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is widely spread throughout northern and central South America. Five subspecies are recognised. They are nocturnal birds that feed on flying insects. As with almost all nightjars, they lay their eggs directly on the ground and rely their camouflaged plumage to avoid predation.

The band-tailed nighthawk was formally described and illustrated in 1825 by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix under the binomial name Caprimulgus leucopygus. Spix specified the habitat as the wooded shores of the Amazon. The specific epithet is derived from Ancient Greek λευκοπυγος/leukopugos meaning "with white rear", from λευκος/leukos meaning "white" and -πυγος/-pugos meaning "-rumped". The band-tailed nighthawk is now placed together with the plain-tailed nighthawk in the genus Nyctiprogne that was introduced in 1847 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.

There are 5 recognized subspecies which differ in size, colour and vocalizations. The subspecies N. l. latifascia has been suggested to be a separate species. It is visually distinct from the other... Wikipedia →