Montane Nightjar

Overview

The montane nightjar, also known as the mountain or Abyssinian nightjar, is a rather dark species of nightjar native to the upland regions of Central and Eastern Africa. Originally described by Eduard Rüppell in 1840, it is a locally common species found across a wide range of altitudes.

Identification

• Length of approximately 23 cm with tawny, blackish, or chocolate brown dappled plumage.
• Males display white spots on the four main primaries and white outer tail edges, whereas females have buff-coloured spots on the primaries and less white on the tail.
• The call consists of a nasal ank-ank-ank, often followed by a high-pitched piiyu-pirrr whistle where the first syllable descends and rises and the second is tremulous and descending.

Habitat

Native to Central and Eastern Africa, including Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, at altitudes between 1,000 and 3,350 m. It is predominantly a forest bird but is also found in plantations, cultivated areas near forests, and well-wooded urban areas.

Diet

This nocturnal species feeds on moths and other large insects.

Did you know?

The subspecies C. p. ruwenzorii was formerly sometimes treated as a separate species known as the Ruwenzori nightjar, though detailed measurements of museum specimens suggest it is conspecific with the montane nightjar.