Nyctidromus albicollis
The Pauraque, *Nyctidromus albicollis*, is a captivating medium-sized nightjar, renowned for its cryptic camouflage and crepuscular habits across the Neotropics. Measuring 25-32 cm in length with a wingspan of 48-55 cm and weighing 55-95 grams, its plumage is a masterful blend of mottled browns, grays, black, and rufous, perfectly mimicking leaf litter and bark. Distinctive field marks include a prominent white throat patch, white patches on the primary feathers visible in flight, and in male...
Primarily inhabits low to mid-elevation tropical and subtropical dry forests, woodlands, open scrub, and forest edges, often near clearings or human-modified landscapes.
Feeds almost exclusively on a wide variety of nocturnal insects, including moths, beetles, crickets, and grasshoppers, captured primarily by aerial hawking or by sallying from the ground.
Exclusively nocturnal and crepuscular, Pauraques spend their days roosting motionless on the ground, often beneath dense vegetation, or lengthwise on low branches, their cryptic plumage rendering them virtually invisible. Foraging involves sallying from the ground or a low perch to snatch flying ...
The Pauraque boasts a wide and robust distribution across the Neotropics, extending from the southern tip of Texas (where it is a rare resident or vagrant breeder) and Mexico, through all of Central America, and extensively across South America. Its range encompasses Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador,...
Least Concern
- The Pauraque is one of the few nightjars that frequently walks and runs on the ground, thanks to its proportionally long legs. - Its name, "Pauraque," is thought to be an onomatopoeia derived from its distinctive vocalization. - Like other nightjars, it was historically given the misleading com...