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Nightjars | Caprimulgidae
Nachtzwaluwen | Chotacabras
Long pointed wings and a long tail give a light, floating flight in which insects are hawked low over open ground and along woodland edges. The claw of the middle toe is drawn out along one side into a small comb with fine teeth, with which the bird grooms its head and facial bristles. The song is a long, mechanical churring delivered from a perch; in display the male shows white spots at the wingtips and tail corners and claps his wings together above his back. Two eggs are laid straight onto the litter with no nest; hunting goes best by moonlight, and breeding is timed so that the young are being raised through the bright half of the lunar month.
Native species 8 species
Species that occur here by nature: breeding birds, winter visitors and passage migrants. They are arranged by genus, in the sequence of the list.
Caprimulgus 8 species
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Pennant-Winged Nightjar
Caprimulgus vexillarius
Miombo woodland
Mixed broadleaf woodland
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European Nightjar
Caprimulgus europaeus
Miombo woodland
Mixed broadleaf woodland
Acacia savanna and thornveld
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Rufous-Cheeked Nightjar
Caprimulgus rufigena
Kalahari thornveld
Nama Karoo
Acacia savanna and thornveld
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Fiery-Necked Nightjar
Caprimulgus pectoralis
Miombo woodland
Mixed broadleaf woodland
Riverine forest
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Montane Nightjar
Caprimulgus poliocephalus
Drakensberg and montane grassland
Afromontane forest
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Swamp Nightjar
Caprimulgus natalensis
Rivers, marshes and vleis
Highveld grassland
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Freckled Nightjar
Caprimulgus tristigma
Mountains and rock outcrops
Mixed broadleaf woodland
Gardens and built-up land
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Square-Tailed Nightjar
Caprimulgus fossii
Mixed broadleaf woodland
Riverine forest
Rivers, marshes and vleis