Fiery-necked nightjar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fiery-necked nightjar |
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| C. p. fervidus in Limpopo, South Africa | |
| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Caprimulgus
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| Species: |
pectoralis
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The fiery-necked nightjar (Caprimulgus pectoralis) is a special type of nightjar bird. It's part of the Caprimulgidae family. You can find these birds mostly in Africa south of the equator, but they have also been seen in a few countries north of it. They love living in woodland savannas or other forests where trees lose their leaves.
This bird is easy to spot because of its reddish-brown collar around its neck, which is how it got its name. It also has a very unique call that sounds like "good-lord-deliver-us." The fiery-necked nightjar is an insect-eater, mostly munching on butterflies, moths, and other bugs. They usually lay two sets of eggs, called clutches, with two eggs in each, after the dry season.
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About the Fiery-necked Nightjar Family
The fiery-necked nightjar belongs to the Caprimulgidae family. This family includes about 90 different kinds of nightjars, nighthawks, and their relatives. These birds are all insectivores, meaning they eat insects. They are most active when the sun is rising or setting, and during the night.
A cool feature of these birds is their special comb-like claw on their middle toe. They use this "pectinate claw" to keep their feathers neat and tidy. The nightjar family is split into two main groups: the nighthawks and the true nightjars. The fiery-necked nightjar is in the true nightjar group. These birds often have long, stiff feathers called rictal bristles around their beaks. The fiery-necked nightjar is part of the Caprimulgus group, which has most of the nightjar species. It's most closely related to the Montane nightjar.
There are five different types, or subspecies, of the fiery-necked nightjar:
- Caprimulgus pectoralis nigriscapularis (also known as the Black-shouldered nightjar)
- Caprimulgus pectoralis shelleyi
- Caprimulgus pectoralis fervidus
- Caprimulgus pectoralis crepusculans
- Caprimulgus pectoralis pectoralis
What Does a Fiery-necked Nightjar Look Like?
An adult fiery-necked nightjar is quite small, usually about 23 to 25 centimeters long. Their feathers are mostly a mix of grayish-brown and brownish-white colors. The fiery-necked nightjar has a clear reddish-brown collar of feathers on the back of its neck. This gives the bird its common name. They also have a large white patch on their throat.
The feathers around their eyes and on their shoulders are a chestnut brown. They have a light-colored top of the head with a darker spot in the middle. Black spots run down both sides of their shoulders. Their belly feathers are brown with brownish-white speckles and bars. Their tail is mostly square-shaped. The fiery-necked nightjar has a dark beak and completely black eyes.
Boys and girls of this bird species look a little different (this is called sexual dimorphism). The male has white spots on the four outer wing feathers and white tips on the two outer tail feathers. These white spots are much smaller and more buff-colored on the female.
Special Features: Bristles and Claws
Fiery-necked nightjars have long, stiff, hair-like feathers called rictal bristles around their beak. These bristles can grow up to 20 millimeters long. They can have up to eight of these bristles on each side of their face. The bristles above the beak curve upwards to protect the bird's eyes. The ones below curve downwards to help the bird catch insects while flying.
They also have a special comb-like claw on their middle toe, with nine tiny bristles. This helps the bird comb its feathers when preening.
Fiery-necked Nightjar Chicks
Fiery-necked nightjar chicks are born somewhat mature and can move around soon after hatching. This is called being semi-precocial. They are born with some soft feathers, called down. This down is gray with dark brown stripes that go from their beak, through their eyes, and across their wings. They also have reddish-brown feathers on their face and wings. Newborn chicks are about 5 centimeters long and weigh around 5 grams.
Where Fiery-necked Nightjars Live
The fiery-necked nightjar lives across most of south-eastern Africa. You can find them in countries like South Sudan, Kenya, central Tanzania, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. They have also been seen in some central and west African countries, including Gambia, Senegal, western Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
These birds always stay within the African continent. They will fly back to the same place each year for breeding season. However, they don't travel very far from their usual home range.
Fiery-necked Nightjar Homes
The fiery-necked nightjar is a bird that spends a lot of time on the ground. They are usually found in forests, savannas, shrublands, and grasslands. It's most common to see them in woodland savannas where Brachystegia trees grow, and in other forests where trees lose their leaves in southern Africa. They can also live in scrublands with acacia and eucalyptus trees. Sometimes, you might even find them in suburban gardens that have lots of trees.
How Fiery-necked Nightjars Behave
Their Unique Calls
The fiery-necked nightjar is famous for its very special song. It's a series of soft notes that many people say sounds like "Good Lord, deliver us deliver us deliver us". This song often starts with a warm-up call. Sometimes, they might sing this warm-up call for a long time without ever switching to the full song.
The fiery-necked nightjar usually sings at dusk and dawn to attract mates before their breeding season. They sing much less during the breeding season so they don't draw attention to their nests. Any singing heard during this time is often from a nightjar that hasn't found a mate yet. You can see them singing from different spots, like trees, fence posts, tall grass, or even from the ground.
The fiery-necked nightjar often uses a "chuck" call. This is an alarm sound to warn other nightjars about possible danger. The "chuck" call is also used when they are looking for food.
Adult fiery-necked nightjars use a "wooting" call to help guide their chicks away from danger. When the chicks hear this call, even if they are only a few days old, they will immediately run towards the sound.
The chicks make quick "wee-you" calls every second. As they grow, their calls get louder and last longer. Researchers have even noticed that this call can be heard when the chicks are still inside their eggs!
What Fiery-necked Nightjars Eat
The fiery-necked nightjar is an insectivore, which means it mostly eats insects. They have been seen eating almost every type of insect. However, they do have some favorites. Butterflies, moths, beetles, cockroaches, termites, and mantids are found most often in their diet.
To catch these insects, the fiery-necked nightjar uses a technique called “hawking”. This is when the bird swoops down from a perch to catch an insect while it's flying. When feeding their babies, the parents only give food to the chick when it gently grabs the parent's beak.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Other types of nightjars usually breed in springtime before the dry season. But the fiery-necked nightjar breeds after the dry season. They usually lay two sets of eggs, called clutches, between August and October.
The fiery-necked nightjar usually builds its nest on a bare patch of sand. The bird surrounds this spot with leaf litter to hide it. They often choose a well-hidden place under trees. The eggs are a salmon pink color with a few brown spots. There are usually two eggs in each clutch. The female nightjar sits on the eggs during the day. The male takes over in the late afternoon or early evening, around 6 PM. The eggs hatch after about 18 days. The chicks are semi-precocial, meaning they are almost ready to be on their own as soon as they hatch.
The fiery-necked nightjar is most likely monogamous. This means they probably mate for life and stay loyal to their partner. However, the female often leaves the male's territory when it's not breeding season.
How Fiery-necked Nightjars Are Doing
The fiery-necked nightjar is listed as a Least Concern species on the IUCN Red List. This means their population is stable and they are found over a very wide area. The last time they were checked was in 2016.
