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Scissor-tailed Nightjar - BirdForum Opus

Male
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Salta Province, Argentina, October, 2019
Hydropsalis torquata

Identification

25–30 cm (9¾-12 in)

  • Rufous collar round hindneck

Male: very long whitish outer tail feathers (can be longer than its body)
Female: longish tail

Distribution

South America: found in The Guianas, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

Immature
Photo © by Carlos Henrique
Artur Nogueira, SP, Brazil, March 2010

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized[1]:

  • H. t. torquata:
  • H. t. furcifer:

Some authorities have used Hydropsalis brasiliana for this species.

Habitat

Forest and forest edges, and open parks.

Behaviour

Diet

Their main diet consists of beetles, moths, flies, mayflies, bugs, ants, grasshoppers and crickets. Mostly foraged in flight.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Birdforum thread discussing taxonomy of Nightjars and Frogmouths
  3. Birdforum thread discussing which genus this species belongs in
  4. Arthur Grosset
  5. Cleere, N. (2020). Scissor-tailed Nightjar (Hydropsalis torquata). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/55245 on 7 March 2020)

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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