Bates's nightjar or the forest nightjar, is a bird species of the family Caprimulgidae, native to the Congolian rainforests.
Region
Congo Basin and Central African lowland forests
Typical Environment
Found in lowland evergreen rainforest across the Congo Basin, including southern Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and neighboring areas. It favors interior forest but also uses edges, old logging roads, and light gaps for foraging. Roosting typically occurs on leaf litter in shaded understory. It can persist in secondary forest and selectively logged habitats where sufficient cover remains.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Bates's nightjar, also called the forest nightjar, is a strictly nocturnal species that relies on superb leaf-litter camouflage by day. It hunts by sallying for flying insects along forest tracks and clearings at dusk and night. The species places its egg directly on the forest floor without building a nest. It is named after the collector George Latimer Bates.
Temperament
secretive and crepuscular-nocturnal
Flight Pattern
buoyant, moth-like with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Generally solitary, forming pairs during the breeding season. Nests are a simple scrape on leaf litter with typically a single egg. Adults depend on camouflage and remain motionless when approached, flushing only at close range.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A soft, low churring or trilling phrase delivered repeatedly at dusk and night. Also gives thin tsip contact calls while foraging along forest tracks.
Plumage
Cryptic, finely mottled and barred with brown, rufous, grey, and black, blending seamlessly with leaf litter. The texture appears scaly or vermiculated, with subtle pale spotting on the throat and breast. Lacks bold wing panels; overall appearance is dark and subdued.
Diet
Feeds primarily on flying insects, especially moths, beetles, and flying termites. It hunts by aerial sallies from the ground or low perches, often along open lanes within forest. Occasionally hawks insects over clearings and edges and may snap up prey near lights when available.
Preferred Environment
Forages along forest roads, glades, and canopy gaps where insect flight is concentrated. Often hunts just above the leaf litter or along edges where moonlight or residual light improves visibility.
