About the Rufous-cheeked Nightjar
The rufous-cheeked nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is an intra-African migrant that breeds in the south of its range. It spends the non-breeding season in eastern Nigeria, Cameroon, southern Chad and Sudan, the Republic of the Congo, the D.R.C. and western Central African Republic. Throughout the year it can be found in Southern Africa. It is a nocturnal species that feeds on flying insects, mainly hunting at dusk and the early night. They can hunt at night thanks to their large eyes that are adept at seeing in the dark. They cannot see in complete darkness and most likely cannot see colours either. The rufous-cheeked nightjar forms monogamous pairs and the…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
Similar to that of the fiery-necked nightjar, the rufous-cheeked nightjar is 23–24 cm tall with a male weighing 48-65g and a female weighing 46-66g, and has a typical nightjar body shape. Paler than the fiery-necked nightjar, the rufous-necked nightjar has a dark brown body decorated with rufous-coloured spots and a less distinct rufous-coloured collar. Like most nightjars, it has a short, slightly curved black beak. A male has white marks on the primaries and the tail corner, while in females it is buff. Voice: The rufous-cheeked nightjar has two main flight calls. One is an upbeat "Q! Q! Q! Q!" and the other is a harsh "oar! oar! oar!" they are sung with slight pauses. The nightjar also has a territoriality song, it starts with preliminary coughs "Q-whoop...Q-whoop...Q-whoop" with the "Q" in the cough being a softer version of the Q! flight call. Afterwards, the nightjar starts churring at 31 and 32–37.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in November · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Grey NightjarCaprimulgus jotakaThe grey nightjar is a medium-sized nightjar with a large head, large eye, long tail, weak bill and short legs.
Freckled NightjarCaprimulgus tristigmaThe freckled nightjar is a large, powerfully-build species of nightjar with long wings and relatively short tails.
Jungle NightjarCaprimulgus indicusThe jungle nightjar is about 21–24 cm long with the Sri Lankan population (ssp. kelaarti) being smaller.
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