Caprimulgus longipennis
The Standard-winged Nightjar (Caprimulgus longipennis) is a medium-sized, highly distinctive member of the Caprimulgidae family, famed for the extraordinary elongated primary feathers of the breeding male. Measuring approximately 20-23 cm (8-9 inches) in body length, males can boast streamers up to 50 cm (20 inches) long, making them almost twice the bird's body length. Its plumage is a masterclass in cryptic camouflage, featuring mottled browns, grays, and blacks that allow it to blend seaml...
This nightjar primarily inhabits arid and semi-arid savannas, open woodlands, and rocky country, often favoring areas with scattered trees and bushes. It typically occurs from lowlands up to elevations of around 2,000 meters.
The Standard-winged Nightjar is an obligate aerial insectivore, primarily feeding on a variety of nocturnal flying insects such as moths, beetles, grasshoppers, termites, and mosquitoes. It captures prey mid-flight using its wide gape, often returning to a favored perch after a sally.
Strictly crepuscular and nocturnal, the Standard-winged Nightjar spends its days roosting cryptically on the ground or perched lengthwise on a low branch, relying entirely on its camouflage to avoid detection. Foraging occurs at dusk and dawn, and throughout the night, with the bird hawking flyin...
The Standard-winged Nightjar boasts a wide, though somewhat disjunct, breeding distribution across sub-Saharan Africa. Its range stretches from Senegal and Guinea-Bissau in the west, eastward through the Sahel region, including countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Su...
Least Concern
- The male's extraordinary wing streamers can grow to be more than twice the length of its body. - These ornamental feathers are modified ninth primary flight feathers, structurally unlike any other bird's plumage. - Males shed their impressive streamers shortly after the breeding season, reverti...