Hydropsalis forcipata
The Long-trained Nightjar, *Hydropsalis forcipata*, is a captivating nocturnal bird known for the male's extraordinary elongated outer tail feathers, which can extend up to 40 cm, making it one of the most distinctive features in the avian world. This medium-sized nightjar, measuring around 25-30 cm excluding the male's tail, displays a cryptic plumage of mottled browns, grays, and blacks, perfectly camouflaging it against leaf litter or tree bark during its daytime roost. Its large eyes and ...
Found primarily in dry deciduous forests, open woodlands, gallery forests, and adjacent scrublands, often near clearings or forest edges, typically at low to moderate elevations.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of nocturnal flying insects such as moths, beetles, and crickets, caught in flight using their wide gape.
The Long-trained Nightjar is strictly nocturnal, spending its days camouflaged and motionless on the ground or a low branch, relying on its cryptic plumage for concealment. At dusk, it becomes active, engaging in aerial foraging flights from a perch or directly from the ground, often performing a...
The Long-trained Nightjar is endemic to central and southern South America, with a broad distribution spanning southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, and eastern Bolivia. Its breeding range largely overlaps with its year-round presence, as it is generally considered a resi...
Least Concern
- The male's tail can be up to three times the length of its body, making it one of the longest tail-to-body ratios among birds. - Despite their elaborate tails, Long-trained Nightjars are agile flyers, adept at snatching insects mid-air. - Their cryptic plumage is so effective that they are incr...