Rufous-cheeked nightjar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rufous-cheeked nightjar
A C. rufigena specimen at the Swedish Museum of Natural History
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Caprimulgiformes
Family:	Caprimulgidae
Genus:	Caprimulgus
Species:	C. rufigena
Binomial name
Caprimulgus rufigena Smith, 1845
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The rufous-cheeked nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena) is a type of nightjar, a bird belonging to the family Caprimulgidae. This bird is a traveler! It flies between different parts of Africa. It breeds, or has its babies, in the southern parts of Africa. When it's not breeding season, it flies north to places like eastern Nigeria, Cameroon, southern Chad, and Sudan. You can find it all year long in Southern Africa.

These nightjars are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night. They hunt flying insects, mostly at sunset and in the early evening. Their large eyes help them see well in the dark, but they can't see in total darkness and probably don't see colors. Rufous-cheeked nightjars form pairs that stay together, and they lay their eggs from September to November. They look a lot like other African nightjars, which sometimes makes them hard to tell apart in studies.

What Does It Look Like?

The rufous-cheeked nightjar is about 23–24 cm (about 9-9.5 inches) tall. Males usually weigh between 48-65 grams, and females weigh 46-66 grams. They have the typical body shape of a Nightjar.

This bird has a dark brown body with reddish-brown (rufous) spots. It also has a faint reddish-brown collar around its neck. Like most nightjars, it has a short, slightly curved black beak. Male nightjars have white marks on their wing feathers (called primaries) and tail corners. Females have buff-colored (pale yellowish-brown) marks instead.

Their colors help them blend in perfectly with their surroundings, like the ground or trees. Young nightjars have special down feathers that create a pattern making them even harder to spot!

Nightjar Family Tree

The rufous-cheeked nightjar belongs to a group of birds called Caprimulgiformes. Since 2021, this group only includes the Caprimulgidae family. All birds in this family are active at night.

The Caprimulgidae family has about 90 different species, divided into two main groups:

• Caprimulginae: These are the true nightjars, like our rufous-cheeked friend.
• Chordeilinae: These are the nighthawks.

The rufous-cheeked nightjar is in the Caprimulginae group. These nightjars have long bristles around their beaks, which nighthawks don't have. They also have short, rounded wings.

Different Types of Rufous-Cheeked Nightjars

There are two main types, or subspecies, of the rufous-cheeked nightjar:

• C. r. rufigena: This type mainly breeds in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.
• C. r. damarensis: This type mainly breeds in Botswana, Namibia, and Angola.

Where Do They Live?

Where They Are Found

You can find the rufous-cheeked nightjar in Southern Africa all year long. This includes countries like Angola, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. However, they are not found along the east coast of Southern Africa, in Natal, or in western Namibia.

When they are not breeding, they fly to places like Cameroon, Nigeria, the D.R.C., the Republic of the Congo, southern Chad, and the Darfur region of Sudan.

Their Favorite Homes

These nightjars usually live in areas with trees, like miombo woodlands, wooded savannas, and the edges or clearings of forests. They can also live in more open places, such as dry acacia shrublands and semi-deserts.

For breeding and nesting, they prefer drier spots. They avoid rivers, lakes, valleys, and wet areas. They build their nests both inside and outside wooded areas. If they nest outside a wooded area, they often choose bare ground, especially places that have recently been burned.

How They Behave

What They Sound Like

The rufous-cheeked nightjar has two main calls it makes while flying. One sounds like an excited "Q! Q! Q! Q!" and the other is a rough "oar! oar! oar!" These calls are sung with short pauses.

They also have a special song to mark their territory. It starts with soft coughs like "Q-whoop...Q-whoop...Q-whoop." Then, the nightjar begins a continuous "churring" sound. This churring can last for several minutes and slows down near the end.

If another rufous-cheeked nightjar enters its territory, the churring changes. If it's a male intruder, the nightjar will make "oaring" sounds, similar to its flight call. If it's a female, it will sing a song that sounds like purring.

What They Eat

Rufous-cheeked nightjars mostly hunt at sunset and in the early night. They have also been seen hunting when the moon is bright and at dawn. Their main food is beetles, but they also eat moths, grasshoppers, and other flying insects.

Nightjars are very good hunters. They can fill their stomachs with food during the short time around sunset. They often leave their own territory to hunt, sometimes even flying to different habitats. They like to hunt in open woodlands and near waterholes, where they can drink while flying. They also hunt near roads because street lights attract insects.

They usually perch low to the ground to watch for prey. Once they spot an insect, they quickly fly up, snatch it, and land back in the same spot. Sometimes, they also fly around to search for their prey. Their large eyes are their main tool for finding food in the dark, but they can't see in total darkness.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Rufous-cheeked nightjars are a monogamous species, meaning a male and female pair stay together. Both parents take care of the nest. The male watches the nest at night, and the female watches during the day.

The breeding season is usually from September to November. The male finds and claims a territory. He then sings his territorial song, which is a continuous churring sound throughout the night. This tells other males to stay away and invites females. The churring can last for many minutes, but it stops if the moon is hidden.

If another male comes near, the rufous-cheeked nightjar will start "oaring" until the intruder leaves. If a female approaches, he will begin "purring." Once a female arrives, she will check out his territory. If she likes it, she will choose a nesting spot, and they will start breeding right away. To avoid attracting predators with noise, the male stops churring during breeding. He only sings when he switches places with the female to watch the nest.

Like other nightjars, their breeding habits might follow the moon's cycle, though this isn't fully proven. It seems they lay their eggs about one week after a full moon. However, if they have to lay a second set of eggs (called replacement clutches), these don't follow the moon cycle.

The rufous-cheeked nightjar usually lays two eggs per clutch. The eggs hatch after about 15–17 days. Sometimes, they lay only one egg, especially for replacement clutches. The eggs are shiny and usually a pale pinkish-cream color. On average, they are about 27.17 x 20.09 mm in size and weigh about 5.86 grams.

These birds don't build fancy nests. They simply make small dips or grooves on the ground where they lay their eggs. Their plumage (feathers) provides perfect camouflage, so a nest would only make it easier for predators to find them. The challenge with such a hidden nest is that the parents might have trouble finding it themselves! To solve this, rufous-cheeked nightjars use quartzite rocks as landmarks to guide them back to their eggs.