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The gigantic forest nightjar is a South American bird species belonging to the order Goatidae.

Own strange name nightjars got it because they have a habit of hunting insects next to sheep, cows or goats, deftly flying between the hooves or under the belly of animals.

Appearance of a gigantic forest nightjar

The gigantic gray nightjar represents a failure of a large bird, in its own way appearance reminiscent of European nightjars.

The body length of the gigantic nightjar can reach 55 cm, and the weight can reach up to 230 g. The wingspan is about 125 cm, the tail is up to 27 cm, and the wings are up to 40 cm.

The plumage is painted mostly gray and has black stripes and spots. The legs of the bird are very short, and the tail is long. In general, nightjars are a fairly large group of birds, which is widespread in various areas of the globe (mainly in tropical and subtropical) and is nocturnal. Unlike the gigantic forest nightjar, the bulk of the species weighs only about one hundred grams, and only the largest representatives of this order can reach the size of a rook and weigh up to four hundred grams.

Both females and males of the nightjar are painted in the same way. At the same time, the coloring of nightjars does not differ in variety and very much resembles the color of the tree bark of a particular tree. In the upper part of the body, the plumage is dotted on a black and white background with dark and very thin transverse lines in the form of zigzags. At the ends of the feathers there are rusty-brown borders. There are also dark rod stripes.

The legs of the gigantic forest nightjar are yellowish gray, the eyes are dark brown, and the beak is gray with a yellowish-horn tint.

One of characteristic features nightjar is a short beak of very large width, which has bristle-like vibrissae at the corners of the cut of the mouth, which are a kind of adaptation for preying on insects on the fly at night.

The eyes of the nightjar are very sensitive and have a large size, which is also associated with a nocturnal lifestyle, as well as a loose, soft plumage like that of owls.

Nightjars are excellent flyers, have pointed long wings with ten or, somewhat less often, eleven flight feathers. The tail is also long and has six pairs of tail feathers.

Flying nightjars have a marked resemblance to hawks and somewhat less to swallows.

The paws of the nightjar are short and, once on the ground, their movements are characterized by low speed and clumsiness. Basically, they move on the ground with clumsy slow jumps. In the region of the uppertail, the giant nightjar has powder coats that produce powder down.

Distribution of the gigantic forest nightjar

It is assumed that this bird is found in all forests of the South American continent. In any case, it was possible to catch it both in Paraguay and in Cayenne. Apparently, this bird is more common than was commonly thought, but it is very difficult to see it during the day, and it is not easy to do it at night. Moreover, the nightjars mastered the art of disguise to perfection. The plumage similar to the color of tree bark reliably protects it from the eyes of enemies, and at the same time from the eyes of ornithologists. Even harder to notice the giant gray nightjar because of its ability to remain motionless for a long time.

The behavior of the gigantic forest nightjar

According to the observations of ornithologists, the gigantic forest nightjar chooses the ends of dried branches as a place for its seat. At the same time, he sits down so that his head hangs beyond the end of the bough, due to which the bough seems longer than it actually is. However, despite this or, conversely, it is extremely difficult to notice the bird. However, if you still managed to notice the nightjar, then you can already get the sleeping bird almost without effort, unless it climbed too high to rest.

From the notes of ornithologists it is known that the inhabitants of Paraguay catch gigantic forest nightjars at noon, throwing a noose over their heads and dragging them from a tree. There are also mentions that at this time of day, nightjars may not even respond to the sound of a shot. Moreover, it was sometimes impossible to drive the nightjar from his chosen place of rest, even by ruffling his feathers with a shot. Some nightjars were knocked down from the branches by simply throwing a stone or even a stick at it. At the same time, a nightjar driven from its place can easily return to its favorite place after some time, without fear of a second attack.

At dusk, this bird behaves completely differently. At this time of day, the gigantic forest nightjar is as mobile and agile as other nightjars.

However, there are reports that gigantic nightjars can also hunt in the daytime, acting as follows: from time to time the bird opens its mouth, thereby attracting flies, which willingly sit on the sticky mucous membrane. And when the number of insects became large enough, the nightjar closed its mouth and swallowed the prey. After some time, the hunt resumed, but the eyes of the bird remained closed all the time. However, when the observer touched the bird, it immediately flew away.

A hunting gigantic forest goat sits on the ground very rarely, but if this does happen, then they can, spreading their wings, rely on them, as well as on the tail, almost without the help of legs. Nightjars are especially active in moonlight. At night, they sometimes emit drawn-out calls, clear and deep, decreasing both in volume and in pitch.

Reproduction of the gigantic forest nightjar

There is only one egg in the nightjar's nest. The chicks are born fully sighted and dressed in thick motley fluff, which perfectly masks the chick in the nest. The only element that produces a chick is the white egg shell. However, it is thanks to him that parents manage to find their offspring in a dark forest. After a few weeks, the chick becomes winged, but the parents feed it for some time.

Nutrition of the gigantic forest nightjar

The main food of the gigantic forest nightjar is various insects, on which it hunts at night, just as flycatchers do. That is, for some time he sits on a protruding branch, and then, taking off for prey, he returns back to his observation post.

Its diet consists mainly of butterflies, orthoptera, hymenoptera and other invertebrates.

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• Class: Aves = Birds
• Order: Caprimulgi, Caprimulgiformes = Nightjars, nightjars
• Suborder: Caprimulgi = Nightjars
• Family: Nyctibiidae = Giant nightjars
• Species: Nyctibius griseus = Gray gigantic (forest) nightjar, gray potoo

Species: Gray gigantic (forest) nightjar, gray potoo

Gigantic gray nightjar (Nyctibius griseus) is the most common bird of the Gigantic nightjar family.

The gray potoo lives in the expanses from southern Mexico to Argentina and Paraguay, and is also found in some Antilles (except Cuba) and on the island of Trinidad.

Gray gigantic nightjar - large bird. The length of her body is about 35 cm. Gray colors with black spots and stripes predominate in the plumage color. The tail is long, the legs are very short.

The gray nightjar starts nesting in different parts of its range at different times: in April - in Suriname, in July - in Trinidad, and in Brazil the bird nests in November - December. The bird usually lays its only white egg with marks in a small depression on top of a broken tree trunk. The nest can be located very low above the ground, sometimes at a height of up to 15 m.

Unlike other birds, the gray potoo incubates the egg while in an upright position, covering its single egg with fluffy breast feathers. The duration of incubation is about a month. The chick is born covered with white fluff and stays in the nest for almost two months. On average, from the beginning of incubation of the egg to the departure of the chick, as a rule, at least 70 days pass.

Like all other types of gigantic nightjars, the gray potoo leads a solitary, solitary and nocturnal lifestyle. They are not easy to spot in the daytime when they sit motionless like a twig of a tree, aided by their camouflage camouflage plumage. When the bird is calm, its head is extended and the closed beak is directed forward; but if she is alarmed or notices an enemy somewhere, then her whole body immediately becomes tense and moves forward a little, the beak opens slightly and stretches straight up. The gray potoo is so sure of its invisibility that you can cautiously approach it closely, and sometimes even touch a frozen bird.

The gray nightjar feeds mainly on insects, which it catches at night in the manner of flycatchers, i.e. sits quietly for some time on a protruding branch, then takes off for prey and again returns to its observation post. The basis of its diet is made up of beetles, butterflies, hymenoptera, orthoptera and other invertebrates. The gray nightjar is especially active on moonlit nights, when moonlight helps to hunt. The gigantic gray nightjar from time to time at night publishes a kind of abrupt song, vaguely reminiscent of barking.

Nightjars got their unexpected, slightly strange name because of the habit of catching insects near goats, cows and sheep, deftly flying under the belly or between the hooves of animals. The very appearance of the nightjar is also unusual, in which an attentive observer will notice the features of a variety of animals: its mouth resembles that of a frog, its beak is like that of a swallow, and its paws are like a swift. The voice of a bird can frighten with its roar, rumbling, and even hissing like a snake. In addition, nightjars are fluent in camouflage skills.

The gray gigantic nightjars copied their camouflage from the bark of trees, therefore, at the usual nesting site - a stump, or on a branch, the birds, merging with them, are completely invisible. The male incubates the nest all day long with his eyes closed, afraid to give himself away with a bright orange iris. At night, he is replaced by a female, who looks into the darkness of the forest with wide eyes. Both parents take care of the chicks. The habitat of the gray forest nightjar is the tropics of Central and South America and the Antilles.

There is 1 egg in the bird's nest. The baby is born sighted and dressed in colorful, thick fluff, which camouflages it well in the nest. The only thing that betrays a small nightjar is the white color of the egg shell, but it is for him that the parents find him in the night forest. After a few weeks, the chick flies. Adults feed him for some time. While everything is calm in the forest, the forest nightjar looks at the world with open eyes, but when a person or other danger approaches, the bird freezes sharply, raises its head high and narrows its eyes, continuing to observe what is happening through a narrow gap of closed eyelids.

Video: The gigantic nightjar is a branch bird.

A few more photos at the end.

At nightfall, when owls and the bats fly out in search of food, a rare and almost unknown animal also begins to hunt.

This is a gray gigantic nightjar (great potto), an unusual bird that is difficult to see. One of the reasons for its unique camouflage is its gray and brown colors, almost identical to tree trunks. The nightjar sleeps in a position that looks very uncomfortable.

The bird's camouflage is so perfect that it simply blends into the tree, resembling a real broken branch.

Nature has made high degree perfection in this bird is that its eyelids have curtain-like structures that form small openings when closed. This allows the gigantic nightjar to see everything around him even during sleep.

At night, the bird presents its majesty with a 1-meter wingspan in quiet flight

This nocturnal predator is often mistaken for an owl. The bird's beak is huge for its size and extends beyond the level of the eyes, which makes it possible to catch insects well in flight. The nightjar also feeds on small birds and bats.

The bird belongs to the Nyctibiidae family. Three species of this family are found in Brazil: the great potto ( Nyctibius grandis) , ordinary potto ( Nyctibius griseus) and long-tailed potto ( Nyctibius aethereus) . In addition, the gray giant nightjar can be found in Argentina and Paraguay, southern Mexico and the Antilles.

Only a few people have seen this bird in wild nature because of her amazing camouflage. Most likely, that is why there are many legends about this unusual bird. According to one legend, the sounds that the nightjar makes are messages from the realm of the dead, bringing good luck to friends or bad luck to enemies.

According to another legend, an Indian woman suffered from unrequited love. Her pain was so strong that the girl turned into a gigantic nightjar. Allegedly, after the transformation, the unfortunate woman is doomed to live on a tree, drift through the night forest in the light of the moon and sing about her sad love.

Another legend says that the bird is an orphan boy who misses his parents and cries every night because of their loss. Some legends say that the feathers of the nightjar are talismans of love.

There are many legends, as a result of which one gets the impression that the gigantic nightjar is a magical bird.

She can both sing rather restrainedly and scream loudly at night, and the cry resembles the call of danger.