Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur

Sitio realizado por aficionados a la observación de aves desde 10 de enero 2006

Scissor-tailed Nightjar - Hydropsalis torquata

Order: Caprimulgiformes - Family: Caprimulgidae Status: Summer visitor - Scarce - Breeder. Habitat: Woods and grassland

All records since January 2014
Sounds

logovoz

© Carlos Ferrari

     

Male vocalizing. Video taken during a night walk 11-2011 © C. y D. Bastías

Adult male
Atajacaminos tijeraM/Scissor-tailed Nightjar15-9-12 © Claudia y Diego Bastías
Brown. Barred underparts. White wingbars on scapulars. Tail very long and deeply forked. Rufous nape collar
Adult female
ataja tijera RU 12 2 1112-2-11 © Ro Ursino
More ochraceous than meale. Lacks long tail feathers
Atajacaminos tijera/Scissor-tailed Nightjar© J. Simón Tagtachian
On the evening walk of 17th organized by RECS we saw the Scissor-tailed Nightjar and the Sayaca Tanager among other birds. As soon as we went in a heterogeneous group of birds were enjoying a bath in some pools of water on the Lizards Path. By the time we watched the nightjar it was almost dark and flash was not allowed to be used. Anyway the pair of nightjars did not seem to be worried by our presence and we stayed long watching them. They performed acrobatic raids in the air to engulf insects. But the male (bottom) exhibited a curious behaviour. It positioned parallel and head to head to the female, jumped and fell in the same place but looking backwards, then again to the head-to-head poisition. It repeated this figure another couple of times and they both flew away. A courtship?
Scissor-tailed Nightjar Hydropsalis torquataAtajacaminos tijeraH/Scissor-tailed Nightjar1 11 15 © Teresa y Fabián Dodyk
Atajacaminos tijeraH/Scissor-tailed Nightjar1 11 15 © Teresa y Fabián Dodyk
Teresa and Fabián tells us that this female was motionless on the ground by the road. Fabián stayed with her while Teresa went to Viamonte for help. They came immediately to pick it up. One of the girls hidrated the nightjar and said it had to be in shock. A week later they told me it had recovered
More photographic records