Great eared nightjar explained

The great eared nightjar (Lyncornis macrotis) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in southwest India and in parts of Southeast Asia. This very large nightjar has long barred wings, a barred tail and long ear-tufts which are often recumbent. It has a white throat band but has no white on its wings or on its tail.

Taxonomy

The great eared nightjar was formally described in 1831 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors based on a sample collected in the neighbourhood of Manila in the Philippines. Vigors coined the binomial name Caprimulgus macrotis.[1] The great eared nightjar was formerly placed in the genus Eurostopodus. It and the closely related Malaysian eared nightjar were moved to the resurrected genus Lyncornis based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 that found large genetic differences between the great eared nightjar and other species in Eurostopodus.[2] [3] The genus name Lyncornis combines the Ancient Greek / (meaning "lynx") with , meaning "bird". The specific epithet macrotis is from the Ancient Greek , meaning "long-eared" (from meaning "long" and , meaning "ear").[4]

Five subspecies are recognised:[2]

Description

The great eared nightjar is the largest species in the family in terms of length, which can range from 31to. Males weigh an average of 131g and females weigh an average of 151g, making it the second heaviest species in the family after the nacunda nighthawk.[5]

Distribution and habitat

It is found in South Asia and Southeast Asia with populations in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka,[6] Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or moist lowland tropical forests.

Behaviour

Like other nightjars they are nocturnal, active at dusk and at night.[7] They have a distinctive call which includes a sharp tsiik followed by a pause and a two-syllable ba-haaww.

Breeding

The nest is a scrape on the ground and the clutch consists of a single egg. The chick is well camouflaged among leaf litter.[8]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Vigors . Nicholas Aylward . Nicholas Aylward Vigors . 1831 . Caprimulgus macrotis . Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London . 1 . 8 . 97 .
  2. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . January 2022 . Frogmouths, Oilbird, potoos, nightjars . IOC World Bird List Version 12.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 25 January 2022 .
  3. Han . K.-L. . Robbins . M.B. . Braun . M.J. . 2010 . A multi-gene estimate of phylogeny in the nightjars and nighthawks (Caprimulgidae) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 55 . 2 . 443–453 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.023. 20123032 .
  4. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 233, 236.
  5. CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses, 2nd Edition by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (2008), .
  6. Soysa, W. C., A. A. T. Amarasinghe and D. M. S. S. Karunarathna (2007). A record of the Great Eared Nightjar Eurostopodus macrotis Vigors, 1830 (Aves: Caprimulgidae), from Sri Lanka, Siyoth, 2 (1): 88–90.
  7. Web site: Anders. Caitlin Jill. This Fluffy Little Dragon Is Actually A Bird. The Dodo. January 21, 2022. June 25, 2024.
  8. Description of the nest and nestling of Great Eared Nightjar Eurostopodus macrotis from Luzon, Philippines. Strijk JS. Forktail. 2004. 20. 128–129. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110610155059/http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/forktail/20pdfs/Strijk-Nightjar.pdf. 2011-06-10.