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Nightjars of various species are common throughout the world, except at very high latitudes. All have highly camouflaged plumage, big eyes, and bristles around the huge mouth that help capture flying insects -- and they remind me of muppets. This is the band-winged nightjar, named for white or buffy bands near the end of the wings (not visible here). It the only member of its family found commonly in Chile. The Chilean name means 'blind little chicken'; interestingly, another Chilean name for this bird is plasta, meaning 'cow flop' -- which a sitting bird can resemble. I took the photos on a forest road in the hills behind the city of Valdivia in southern Chile. The bird -- a female -- was quite accommodating and let me get within three or four meters. She may have been a bit dazzled by my headlamp, but not enough to prevent her from leaping into flight every 30 seconds or so to catch insects passing overhead. |
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