Montane Nightjar (Caprimulgus poliocephalus) | Photos, Calls and ID

LCLeast ConcernInvertebrates

ForestScrapeSmall · 42 g

Montane Nightjar (Caprimulgus poliocephalus), photo 7 — Photo: This image was produced by me, David Castor (user:dcastor). The pictures I submit to the Wikipedia Project are released to the public domain. This gives you the right to use them in any way you like, without any kind of notification. This said, I would still appreciate to be mentioned as the originator whenever you think it complies well with your use of the picture. A message to me about how it has been used would also be welcome. You are obviously not required to respond to these wishes of mine, just in a friendly manner encouraged to. (All my photos are placed in Category:Images by David Castor or a subcategory thereof.) · CC0

Montane Nightjar (Caprimulgus poliocephalus), photo 8 — Photo: (c) Ryan van Huyssteen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Montane Nightjar (Caprimulgus poliocephalus), photo 9 — Photo: (c) Carrie Seltzer, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Montane Nightjar (Caprimulgus poliocephalus), photo 10 — Photo: (c) avocat, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

What the Montane Nightjar sounds like

Sonogram of the Montane Nightjar: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Stephen Lowe · Song · Luwalo-area, Ndundulu forest, Udzungwa Mts., Tanzania · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Recorded by Anne Ndung'u · Song · Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The montane nightjar is a rather dark nightjar growing to a length of about 23 cm (9.1 in). It has somewhat tawny, blackish or chocolate brown dappled plumage. The male has white spots on its four main primaries and the outer edge of the tail is white. The female has buff-coloured spots on its primaries and less white on the tail. The call is a nasal ank-ank-ank, often followed by a high-pitched whistle piiiyu-pirrr, the first syllable descending and then rising, and the second syllable tremulous and descending.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Montane Nightjar

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Montane Nightjar

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 10 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Kenya Tanzania Uganda Ethiopia Malawi Rwanda Saudi Arabia Angola Zambia Mozambique

Recorded as a rare visitor in South Africa.

About the Montane Nightjar

The montane nightjar, mountain nightjar or Abyssinian nightjar, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is native to upland regions of Central and Eastern Africa where it is a locally common species.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Egyptian NightjarCaprimulgus aegyptiusThe variegated plumage is much paler than the European nightjar.

Madagascar NightjarCaprimulgus madagascariensisThe Madagascar nightjar or Madagascan nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae.

Slender-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus clarusThe slender-tailed nightjar is a medium-sized nightjar, measuring approximately 25–28 cm in length.

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