Tschudi's nightjar | |
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Band-winged Nightjar (Caprimulgus longirostris) | |
Conservation status | |
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Clade: | Strisores |
Order: | Caprimulgiformes |
Family: | Caprimulgidae |
Genus: | Systellura |
Species: | S. decussata |
Binomial name | |
Systellura decussata (Tschudi, 1844) | |
Synonyms | |
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Tschudi's nightjar or lesser band-winged nightjar (Systellura decussata) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Chile and Peru.
Taxonomy and systematics
Tschudi's nightjar has a complicated and unresolved taxonomic history. It was originally considered a species, then a subspecies of band-winged nightjar (Systellura longirostris), and then beginning in 2016 again treated as a species. For a time it was also was assigned to genus Caprimulgus. As of late 2024 the International Ornithological Committee and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World retain it in Systellura. However, based on a study published in 2023, in late 2024 the Clements taxonomy and the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society moved it to the newly created monotypic genus Quechuavis.
Tschudi's nightjar has no subspecies.
Description
Tschudi's nightjar is 20 to 21 cm (7.9 to 8.3 in) long. Males weigh 28.5 to 35 g (1.0 to 1.2 oz) and females about 32 g (1.1 oz). It is overall grayish brown with blackish speckles. The male has a broad tawny or cinnamon collar on the hindneck, a small white patch on the throat, white bands on the wing, and white bands and tips on the tail. The female's throat is buff, the bands on the wing are buff, and the tail usually has no white.
Distribution and habitat
Tschudi's nightjar is found along most of western Peru and extreme northern Chile. It inhabits the littoral and foothills in this arid landscape. It generally keeps to open country, clearings, and wooded edges though it is also found in urban areas including Lima, Peru. In Peru it ranges from sea level to 1,300 m (4,300 ft) but has been reported as high as 3,350 m (11,000 ft) in Chile.
Behavior
Feeding
Nothing is known about Tschudi's nightjar's diet or feeding behavior.
Breeding
The breeding season of Tschudi's nightjar is thought to be from November or earlier to January. Essentially nothing else is known about its breeding biology.
Songs and calls Listen to Tschudi's nightjar on xeno-canto |
Vocalization
Tschudi's nightjar's song is "a loud series of well-defined, but slightly buzzy 'cueeo' notes". Its alarm call is "a slightly squeaky-sounding 'wick'".
Status
The IUCN has assessed Tschudi's nightjar as being of Least Concern. It has a range estimated at 472,000 km (182,000 sq mi), and though its population has not been quantified it is thought to be stable.
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2024). "Lesser Band-winged Nightjar Systellura decussata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ HBW and BirdLife International (2024). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 8.1. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/taxonomy retrieved August 26, 2024
- ^ Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (August 2024). "IOC World Bird List (v 14.2)". Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2024). Tschudi's Nightjar (Quechuavis decussata), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bawnig3.01.1 retrieved December 3, 2024
- Clements, J. F., P.C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved October 23, 2024
- Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 18 November 2024. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved November 26, 2024
- Thiago Vernaschi V. Costa, Paul van Els, Michael J. Braun, Bret M. Whitney, Nigel Cleere, Snorri Sigurðsson, and Luis Fábio Silveira (2023) "Systematic revision and generic classification of a clade of New World nightjars (Caprimulgidae), with descriptions of new genera from South America" Avian Systematics 1 (6):55–99
Taxon identifiers | |
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Systellura decussata | |
Caprimulgus decussatus |