Tschudi's nightjar or lesser band-winged nightjar (''Systellura decussata'') 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

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and

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 ...

Taxonomy and systematics

Tschudi's nightjar was originally considered a species, then a subspecies of

band-winged nightjar The band-winged nightjar or greater band-winged nightjar (''Systellura longirostris'') is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is widespread in South America, where it is found in the Andes, Venezuelan Coastal Range, Santa Mart ...

(''Systellura longirostris''), and since 2016 again is treated as a species. It also was assigned for a time to genus ''Caprimulgus''. Its current position in genus ''Systella'' is not completely resolved; it shares the genus with the band-winged nightjar but does not seem to be closely related to it. It is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

.Remsen, 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, 2021del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Tschudi's Nightjar (''Systellura decussata''), 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.bawnig3.01 retrieved October 9, 2021

Description

Tschudi's nightjar is long. Males weigh and females about . It is overall grayish brown with blackish speckles. The male has a broad tawny or cinnamon collar on the hindneck, a small white patch on the throat, white bands on the wing, and white bands and tips on the tail. The female's throat is buff, the bands on the wing are buff, and the tail usually has no white.

Distribution and habitat

Tschudi's nightjar is found along most of western Peru and extreme northern Chile. It inhabits the littoral and foothills in this arid landscape. It generally keeps to open country, clearings, and wooded edges though it is also found in urban areas including Lima, Peru. In Peru it ranges from sea level to but has been reported as high as in Chile.

Behavior

Feeding

Nothing is known about Tschudi's nightjar's diet or feeding behavior.

Breeding

The breeding season of Tschudi's nightjar is thought to be from November or earlier to January. Essentially nothing else is known about its breeding

phenology Phenology is the study of periodic events in biological life cycles and how these are influenced by seasonality, seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as environmental factor, habitat factors (such as elevation). Examples includ ...

Vocalization

Tschudi's nightjar's song is "a loud series of well-defined, but slightly buzzy 'cueeo' notes". Its alarm call is "a slightly squeaky-sounding 'wick'".

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 Tschudi's nightjar as being of Least Concern. It has a range estimated to be at least , and though its population has not been quantified it is thought to be stable.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q22661755

Tschudi's nightjar Tschudi's nightjar or lesser band-winged nightjar (''Systellura decussata'') is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Chile and Peru. Taxonomy and systematics Tschudi's nightjar was originally considered a species, ...

Birds of Peru Birds of Chile