Ocellated Poorwill

The ocellated poorwill (''Nyctiphrynus ocellatus'') is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru.

Taxonomy and systematics

At one time what is now the Choco poorwill (''Nyctiphrynus rosenbergi'') was considered a subspecies of the ocellated poorwill, but plumage, vocalization, and genetic differences showed it to be its own species. The ocellated poorwill now has two recognized subspecies, the nominate ''N. o. ocellatus'' and ''N. o. lautus''. A proposed subspecies ''N. o. bergeni'' is included in the nominate.Cleere, N. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Ocellated Poorwill (''Nyctiphrynus ocellatus''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.ocepoo1.01 retrieved October 12, 2021Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021

Description

The ocellated poorwill is long. Males weigh and females . There are two color morphs, one brown and one rufous. The brown morph of the nominate is mostly dark grayish brown with blackish brown spots on the wings and white spots on the belly. The white spots somewhat resemble eyes, which gives the bird its name. It has a bold white band around the throat. The outer three or four tail feathers have narrow white tips. The rufous morph is paler and reddish brown instead of dark brown. ''N. o. lautus'' is smaller and the white tips on the tail are narrower. At least one author contends that its holotype is immature and that otherwise there are no color differences between the subspecies.

Distribution and habitat

The ocellated poorwill has a disjunct distribution. The nominate is found in two parts of South America. One extends from southern Colombia through eastern Ecuador and Peru into Bolivia and east into Amazonian Brazil. The other is from southeastern Brazil west into eastern Paraguay and extreme northeastern Argentina. ''N. o. lautus'' is found in the border area of eastern Honduras and northeastern Nicaragua and in northwestern Costa Rica. There is one unconfirmed sight record in Panama. The species mostly inhabits lowland forest having an open understory and small clearings. It is also found in dense secondary forest. In elevation it has been reported from sea level to .

Behavior

Feeding

The ocellated poorwill is nocturnal. It forages by sallying from low perches. Its diet is insects of many kinds.

Breeding

The ocellated poorwill's breeding seasons have not been defined though they are known to differ across its range. The clutch of two eggs is laid directly on the ground or on leaf litter without a nest, usually below some kind of cover. Both sexes incubate the eggs.

Vocalization

The male ocellated poorwill's song is "a repetitive trilled 'preeeo' or 'prEEoo'". The call is "a soft, guttural 'wah, wah, wah'."

Status

The IUCN has assessed the ocellated poorwill as being of Least Concern. It has a large range and very large population that is however believed to be decreasing. The only potential threat known is deforestation, especially in the Central American enclaves.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1266712

ocellated poorwill
Birds of Central America
Birds of South America
ocellated poorwill
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot