Pauraque

Nyctidromus albicollis

Also known as: Common Pauraque

About This Species

This ground-roosting nightjar is most active at dusk and through the night across Central and South America, when it hawks insects low over trails, clearings, and scrubby edges. By day it rests motionless on leaf litter, relying on cryptic plumage to go unnoticed, so it is far easier to find by its distinctive whistled call after dark than by sight. A spotlight or torch swept low along a forest trail at night, used briefly, can pick out the reflective eyeshine of a roosting or foraging bird.

Ethical Viewing Guidelines

Keep torch use brief and avoid holding a light directly on the bird for long periods, since repeated glare can disorient a nocturnal species that relies on darkness to hunt and roost safely.
Wildlife protection rules covering nightjars and their habitat differ across the many countries in its Central and South American range, so treat any specific figure or restriction as local rather than universal.
Take care when walking trails at night, as roosting birds sit directly on the ground and are easily startled or stepped near.

LCAvesCaprimulgiformesCaprimulgidae

Seasonal Activity

283,356 sightings · 2000–2026

Citizen science records via GBIF

All monthsThis month

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Caprimulgiformes
Family: Caprimulgidae

Photo

CC-BY-NC-4.0

Occurrence data from GBIF.