The rufous-bellied nighthawk, sometimes also Taczanowski's nighthawk, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Northern Andes and western Amazonia
Typical Environment
Occurs from Venezuela south through Colombia and Ecuador to Peru and northern Bolivia, primarily in humid foothill forests and adjacent lowland edges. Favors river corridors, forest gaps, and clearings where flying insects concentrate. Often hunts above the canopy and along forested ridgelines. By day it roosts on shaded branches, relying on cryptic plumage. It tolerates secondary growth but is most frequent near extensive tracts of evergreen forest.
Altitude Range
200–1900 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called Taczanowski’s nighthawk, this nocturnal insect-hawker is most active at dusk and dawn, often coursing over rivers and forest edges. Its rich rufous underparts distinguish it from other dark nightjars in the Andean foothills. It typically roosts lengthwise on branches by day, relying on camouflage. The genus Lurocalis includes only two species; this one generally occurs at higher elevations than its close relative.
Temperament
secretive and crepuscular
Flight Pattern
buoyant and agile, with quick flicks and short glides
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs when foraging; small loose aggregations may form at rich insect swarms over rivers. During the day it roosts lengthwise on branches, remaining motionless. Breeding pairs are monogamous for the season, and the species lays a single egg directly on leaf litter without a constructed nest.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft and subdued, including short chips and trills given at dusk while in flight. It lacks the prolonged, loud churring typical of some nightjars, with calls more often heard as brief notes over forest edges.
Plumage
Dark brown to sooty upperparts with fine buff mottling; underparts notably rufous to rufous-brown with lighter mottling toward the chest. Wings long and pointed; tail short and squared. Throat shows a small pale buff patch; overall appearance is compact with a large head and tiny bill.
Diet
An aerial insectivore that hawks moths, beetles, flying termites, and other nocturnal insects caught on the wing. It uses a wide gape and quick, twisting flight to capture prey in open air above the canopy. Foraging often concentrates where insects emerge in numbers, such as over rivers and clearings. It may forage singly or loosely with other aerial insectivores.
Preferred Environment
Usually feeds along forest edges, over waterways, and above canopy gaps where visibility and insect density are higher. Less commonly it forages within denser forest airspace but favors open corridors at twilight.
