The long-trained nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina and Brazil.
Region
Atlantic Forest of southeastern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil and adjacent northeastern Argentina (notably Misiones), favoring forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth. It uses understory gaps, roadsides, and riverine corridors for foraging at dusk and night. Roosts on the ground or low perches within humid forest and bamboo thickets. In southern Brazil it also ranges into Araucaria-influenced montane forests.
Altitude Range
0–1700 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The long-trained nightjar is notable for the male’s extremely elongated outer tail feathers, which trail far beyond the body in flight. It is a crepuscular and nocturnal insect-hunter, often detected by its buoyant, moth-like flight along forest edges. Like other nightjars, it nests directly on the ground without building a nest. Its mottled camouflage makes it almost invisible by day when roosting on leaf litter or low branches.
Temperament
solitary and crepuscular
Flight Pattern
buoyant with short rapid wingbeats and glides
Social Behavior
Generally solitary or in pairs during the breeding season. Nests are simple ground scrapes where 1–2 eggs are laid directly on leaf litter. Males perform aerial display flights, showing the long tail streamers at dusk. Adults rely on camouflage and crouching to avoid detection near the nest.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
At dusk and night, males give a series of soft whistles and trills, interspersed with churrs. Calls carry along forest edges and are often the first clue to its presence.
Plumage
Complex mottling of brown, grey, and rufous with fine barring that blends with leaf litter; white throat patch typical of nightjars.
Diet
Feeds mainly on flying insects such as moths, beetles, and other nocturnal arthropods. It hawks prey on the wing using a wide gape and sensitive bristles around the bill. Foraging is typically low over trails, clearings, and along forest margins. It may also sally from low perches to catch passing insects.
Preferred Environment
Forest edges, secondary growth, and riverine corridors where insect activity concentrates. Often hunts along unpaved roads and clearings within humid evergreen forest.
