The sand-colored nighthawk (''Chordeiles rupestris'') is a species of

nightjar Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk tal ...

in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, Colombia,

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved August 24, 2021

Taxonomy and systematics

Major taxonomic systems recognize two subspecies of sand-colored nighthawk, the nominate ''Chordeiles rupestris rupestris'' and ''C. r. xylostictus''.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 25, 2021HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world'' Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip xls zipped 1 MBretrieved May 27, 2021 However, at least two authors contend it is better treated as

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

Description

The sand-colored nighthawk is long. Its upperparts are pale grayish brown with darker brown streaks, bars, and spots. The chin and throat are white to buffy white, the breast grayish white with a cinnamon tinge and brown bars and spots, and the belly white with brown spots on its upper part. The underside of the wing is also mostly white.Whyland, N. (2020). Sand-colored Nighthawk (''Chordeiles rupestris''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.sacnig1.01 retrieved October 4, 2021

Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of sand-colored nighthawk is found widely in northwestern

Amazonia The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

of southeastern Colombia, southwestern Venezuela, northeastern Peru, and northwestern Brazil. It is also found more narrowly along river corridors in eastern Ecuador, Peru, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil. ''C. r. xylostictus'' is found only in Colombia's Cundinamarca Department. The species inhabits the western Amazon basin, primarily along watercourses but including oxbow lakes and grassy clearings such as airstrips. It is seldom found in areas above elevation.

Behavior

The sand-colored nighthawk is

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of dayli ...

and

nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

. During the day it roosts on river islands and sandbars, often in large numbers. In times of high water it will roost in trees overhanging the water.

Feeding

The sand-colored nighthawk forages very actively at dusk and then on and off during the night. Its diet has not been studied in detail but is known to be entirely insects. Its flight has been described as less erratic than that of other nightjars, with an "oddly mechanical"" flapping that resembles that of terns.

Breeding

The sand-colored nighhawk's breeding season spans from May through August in southeastern Peru and from June to September in central Brazil but has not been defined in the rest of its range. They nest in loose colonies, often near those of

yellow-billed tern The yellow-billed tern (''Sternula superciliaris'') is a small seabird found in South America. It is a species of tern in the family Laridae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay ...

, large-billed tern, and black skimmer. They lay their clutch of two eggs in a scrape on a sandbar.

Vocalization

The sand-colored nighthawk apparently seldom sings, but it does so from the ground, "a gurgling purr...interspersed with quiet throat-clearing sound and loud ''grawh'' notes." It also makes a variety of other vocalizations when chasing another bird or defending a nest.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the sand-colored nighthawk as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range, and though its population is believed to be declining, the rate of decline is not thought to be fast enough for a more serious rating. No immediate threats have been identified.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q29249 sand-coloured nighthawk Birds of the Colombian Amazon Birds of the Amazon Basin sand-coloured nighthawk Taxonomy articles created by Polbot