The lyre-tailed nightjar (''Uropsalis lyra'') is a species of

nightjar Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk ta ...

in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The lyre-tailed nightjar shares its genus with the swallow-tailed nightjar (''Uropsalis segmentata''). It has three subspecies, the nominate ''U. l. lyra'', ''U. l. peruana'', and ''U. l. argentina''.

Description

The male lyre-tailed nightjar has extremely long outer tail feathers from which the species gets its name; they are more than twice as long as its body. The female's tail is much shorter and less graduated. Adults of the nominate subspecies are long excluding the tail streamers. The tail exceeds in length. Males weigh about and females about . The male's upperparts are brown. Its crown and nape are spotted with grayish white, buff, tawny, and cinnamon; the back also has tawny and cinnamon spots. It has a broad tawny "collar" around the nape. The tail is brown; the streamers have broad grayish white tips and the other tail feathers are barred and mottled with tawny and buff. The wings are also overall brown with buff, tawny, and cinnamon spots and mottling. The chin and throat are tawny or buff with brown bars and spots, and the "collar" extends across the throat. The breast and upper belly are brown with dense tawny bars and spots. the lower belly and flanks are buff barred with brown. The female's crown is grayish rather than brown and the primary wing feathers have more prominent rufous markings than the male's.Van Doren, B. (2020). Lyre-tailed Nightjar (''Uropsalis lyra''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.lytnig1.01 retrieved October 10, 2021 ''U. l. peruana'' is somewhat larger than the nominate and has a more reddish cast overall. ''U. l. argentina'' is the largest of the three subspecies. Compared to the nominate, its breast markings are whiter, and the tail streamers are tipped with gray instead of white.

Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of lyre-tailed nightjar is found in the Andes of western Venezuela, western Colombia, and Ecuador, and possibly northern Peru. ''U. l. peruana'' is found on the east slope of the Andes of Peru and into central Bolivia. ''U. l. argentina'' is found in the Andes of northern Argentina and possibly southern Bolivia. In elevation the species mostly ranges from but occurs as low as and as high as . It inhabits humid

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

, especially its edges and openings. It favors cliffs and ravines near running water.

Behavior

Feeding

The lyre-tailed nightjar is

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylig ...

and

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

. It forages by sallying from a rock or low perch along the forest edge. It may fly some distance but usually returns to the same perch. Though its diet has not been described, it is assumed to be insects like that of other nightjars. During the day it roosts on a branch or cliff, usually at least partly hidden by vegetation.

Breeding

The lyre-tailed nightjar is thought to be

polygynous Polygyny (; from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); ) is the most common and accepted form of polygamy around the world, entailing the marriage of a man with several women. Incidence Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any ...

. Males display in flight to females at communal

leks A lek is an aggregation of male animals gathered to engage in competitive displays and courtship rituals, known as lekking, to entice visiting females which are surveying prospective partners with which to mate. A lek can also indicate an avail ...

. The breeding season has not been defined though it seems to vary across the species' range. One well studied nest was a scrape cleared of debris in an abandoned masonry fireplace in disturbed forest near pastureland. The female cared for the one nestling and no male was seen nearby.

Vocalization

The lyre-tailed nightjar's song is a "rollicking...5-11 rising ''wéeou-tee'' notes". It is mostly sung at dusk, from a perch or the ground. It is also given in flight or when chasing a female. The male's display flight includes a rapid series of "''weep-weep-weep-weepupup''" sounds.

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the lyre-tailed nightjar as being of Least Concern. Though its population has not been quantified it appear to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified though deforestation may be one in the future.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1269311 lyre-tailed nightjar Birds of the Northern Andes Birds of the Yungas lyre-tailed nightjar lyre-tailed nightjar Taxonomy articles created by Polbot