The scissor-tailed nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is distributed over much of eastern South America.
Region
Eastern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs from eastern Bolivia and central-southern Brazil through Paraguay and Uruguay into northern and central Argentina. It favors open and semi-open landscapes including savannas, cerrado, chaco edges, pastures, scrublands, and woodland edges. Often found along sandy riverbars and near wetlands where emergent insects are abundant. It can be locally common in mosaic agricultural areas provided some natural cover remains.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This nightjar is famed for the male’s extraordinarily long, scissor-like tail streamers used in display flights at dusk. It roosts on the ground or low perches by day, relying on superb camouflage, and often becomes active around roads where insects gather at night. Nests are simple scrapes on bare ground, with eggs and chicks cryptically patterned. It is widespread in eastern South America and adapts well to open and semi-open habitats.
Temperament
solitary and crepuscular-nocturnal
Flight Pattern
buoyant with short rapid wingbeats and glides
Social Behavior
Generally solitary or in pairs during breeding; males perform aerial display flights, fanning the tail and giving calls at dusk. Nests are simple ground scrapes without added materials; typically 1–2 eggs, with both parents involved in care. Roosts on ground or low open sites by day, relying on camouflage and remaining motionless.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A repetitive, mechanical churring or trilling sequence given at dusk and night, interspersed with soft whistles and chips. Display flights may include wing claps and sharper call notes.
Plumage
Cryptic mottled gray-brown, buff, and black with fine streaking and barring that blends into leaf litter and ground.
Diet
Strictly aerial insectivore, taking moths, beetles, winged ants, termites, and other night-flying insects. Captures prey on the wing using a very wide gape and sensitive rictal bristles. May forage along roads, over fields, and near water where insect swarms are dense. Occasionally sallies low over the ground or from short perches.
Preferred Environment
Open habitats such as savanna, pasture edges, scrub, and river margins where flight space and insect abundance are high. Frequently patrols along tracks and roads at night and hunts over wetlands at emergences.
