Quantcast

Common Pauraque

Nyctidromus albicollisOrder: CAPRIMULGIFORMESFamily: Nighthawks and Nightjars (Caprimulgidae)

Common Pauraque Breeding Male Portrait
  Copyright 2002-2007 Whatbird.com
Click here for licensing information Splitbar

General

Common Pauraque: Medium-sized nightjar with dark-streaked, mottled gray upperparts, white throat, black chin, rufous face, and pale gray- brown underparts. Wings are brown- and black-barred with white band at base of primaries visible in flight. Long tail is gray with dark edges and white patches on outside of tip. Female has browner wing and tail patches.

Range and Habitat

Common Pauraque: Resident from extreme southern Texas to the American tropics; frequents semi-open scrub country with thickets and woodland clearings.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"puc, puc, puc, puc p'weeEER", "wheet wheet wheeeer"

Interesting Facts

  • The genus and species names reflect the Common Pauraque’s appearance and behavior. Nyctidromus means “night-runner,” in reference to the bird’s nocturnal, low-to-the-ground foraging. The species name, albicollis, describes the white, bib-like splotch on the pauraque’s throat.
  • Central Americans know the “white-necked night-runner” as “Don Pucuyo” or “Cabellero de la Noche” (“Gentleman of the Night”)—names reflecting its association with love and presumed amorous influence over young women.
  • In hot weather, they often open their mouths wide and vibrate the throat area, a behavior known as gular-fluttering. Like panting, it’s a thermoregulation behavior that helps to cool the body by increasing the rate of evaporation through the mouth.
  • It has rictal bristles, which are modified feathers resembling stiff hairs alongside its mouth. Highly tactile and controlled by specialized muscles, they are thought to aid in night feeding, and protect the bird’s eyes from flailing insect legs and wings.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

Splitbar
Range Map for Common Pauraque
.
Bird database and its related content, illustrations and media is Copyright © 2002 - 2007  Whatbird.com
All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced without written permission from Mitch Waite Group.
 Privacy Policy.
Percevia® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Nyctidromus albicollis
Length10.11 Inches
Wingspan22 Inches

Common Pauraque

Common Pauraque: Medium nightjar with dark-streaked, mottled gray upperparts, white throat, black chin, rufous face, pale gray-brown underparts. Wings have brown and black bars, white band at base of primaries visible in flight. The gray tail is long, with dark edges and white patches.

● Song: "puc, puc, puc, puc p'weeEER", "wheet wheet wheeeer"

● Foraging & Feeding: Common Pauraque: Feeds on insects; forages in flight close to ground; sometimes forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Common Pauraque: Two buff to pale pink eggs, marked with small red brown spots, are laid on the bare ground near a bush or tree. Incubation ranges from 19 to 20 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Common Pauraque: Common and Lesser nighthawks have long pointed wings, long, notched tails, and different voices.

Flight Pattern

Flies low on slowly beating wings, darts erratically, changing courses.
Common Pauraque Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Common Pauraque: Resident from extreme southern Texas to the American tropics; frequents semi-open scrub country with thickets and woodland clearings.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
Population
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight1.8 Ounces