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The Fiery Necked Night Jar

Team Sausage Tree • September 13, 2024

Why goatsucker you may not unreasonably ask ?

A small bird is sitting on the ground in the sand.

Last night we heard an increasingly rare sound , that of the Fiery-necked Nightjar.

Its liquid melodious call makes it one of the most beautiful nocturnal noises you might hear when staying with us at Sausage Tree Safari Camp in Olifants West Nature reserve in the Greater Kruger.

A member of the family Caprimulgidae , the scientific name Caprimulgus literally translates to “goat-sucker”.

Why goatsucker you may not unreasonably ask ?

It is derived from the name given to nightjars in the Middle Ages in Europe due to their huge mouths and habit of flying around animal sheds at dusk ( rich pickings for insect food).

The myth evolved these were transformed witches sucking the milk from the teats of goats , poisoning the udder and causing it to wither away.

Nightjars have a unique niche role designed to devour flying insects that emerge early evening. They have several adaptations for this purpose.

Their eyes are huge , with a large number of rods and a reflective tapetum on their retina to give them acute night vision. They are most active at dusk and on moonlit nights.

They have a massive gape and their lower jaw opens both in vertical and horizontal planes. They do not fly around agape but open only at the moment of capture. Rictal bristles line the upper and lower gape to help net insects in flight . The bristles around the eyes help protect them.

To help keep the bristles clean and not clogged up with bits of insect, they have a comb on the end of each middle toe , known as a pecten , for grooming purposes.

All species have remarkably effective camouflage plumage for daytime hiding at their roosts from predators.

One drawback of their niche insectivorous lifestyle is that come winter they need to migrate in pursuit of a plentiful supply of insects.

When your guide points out the call of the Fiery-necked Nightjar , think of the refrain “ Good Lord deliver us “ and you will always be able to identify its call

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