Standard-winged nightjar
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The standard-winged nightjar (Caprimulgus longipennis) is a nocturnal bird in the nightjar family. Previously placed with the pennant-winged nightjar (Caprimulgus vexillarius) in their own genus, Macrodipteryx, it is native to Africa and displays extreme sexual dimorphism. During the breeding season, males will grow broad ornamental flight feathers longer than their body.
Distribution and habitatEdit
The standard-winged nightjar is a resident breeder in Africa from southern Senegal east to Ethiopia. It spends the non-breeding season in the Sahel region to the north. Its habitat includes lightly wooded savanna, with some scrub, as well as agricultural land in thickly wooded savanna.<ref name=":0" /> It has been observed at elevations as high as Template:Convert in Ethiopia,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> but is typically found from sea level up to elevations of Template:Convert.<ref name=":0" />
DescriptionEdit
When roosting on the ground during the day, this medium-sized (Template:Convert long) nightjar is mainly variegated grey, with a browner collar. It has a shadowy form with easy, silent moth-like flight; this nightjar is relatively short-tailed, and lacks white in the wings or tail. The song is a churring trill.<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021" />
The adult male grows a wing ornament during the breeding season which consists of a broad secondary flight feather<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> on each wing elongated to up to Template:Convert,<ref name=":0" /> over twice the length of the bird's body. In normal flight, these feathers trail behind, but in display flight they are displayed like standards.<ref name=":0" /> These large feathers have been postulated as a feature developed through intense sexual selection.<ref name="Phylogeny" /> Outside the breeding season, the female is distinguished from the male by its smaller size and similarity to the pennant-winged nightjar, notably the patch of white on the throat and dark barring on the belly.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
BehaviourEdit
Like other nightjars, the standard-winged nightjar feeds on insects in flight, their mouths opening wide for moths and beetles. It flies at dusk, when the highest quantity of prey is available, though its foraging patterns change depending on moonlight, with later, more nocturnal foraging correlated with higher levels of moonlight.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref> It may also feed on swarms of insects disturbed by fires and artificial lights, a behaviour which has been linked to bird strike by cars when their lights illuminate roads.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
During breeding season, male and (less frequently) female standard-winged nightjars will gather in patches of soil with little vegetation to forage and for males to perform display flights.<ref name=":2" /> Such behaviour has been considered a form of lekking.<ref name=":0" /> Outside of breeding season, standard-winged nightjars have been observed traveling in groups of up to 20 individual birds.<ref name=":0" />
No nest is made; in each clutch, two elliptical, slightly glossy eggs are placed upon bare sandy soil.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite BOW</ref>
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NomenclatureEdit
Though the standard-winged nightjar was originally placed in the genus Caprimulgus as in its first identification by George Shaw in 1796,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> it was later placed in the genus Macrodipteryx along with the pennant-winged nightjar.<ref name=":0" /> A phylogenetic study done in 2010 deprecated Macrodipteryx, placing both the pennant-winged nightjar and standard-winged nightjar species within Caprimulgus.<ref name="Phylogeny">Template:Cite journal</ref> The two species are closely related,<ref name="Phylogeny" /> despite their differences in breeding ranges and breeding seasons.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Ecology and conservationEdit
Standard-winged nightjars are migratory birds<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021"/> and travel to and from breeding grounds annually. The precise breeding season varies based on region, and is affected by prey availability and rain; populations that live in more southern regions breed earlier than those in northern regions.<ref name=":0"/>
The standard-winged nightjar population is not considered to be under threat and is listed as least-concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the IUCN Red List.<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021"/>