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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Nightjars (Order Caprimulgiformes)

-Nightjars and Nighthawks (Family Caprimulgidae)

-Common Pauraque and Scrub Nightjar (Genus Nyctidromus)

-Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis)


The Common Pauraque inhabits open woodlands, forest edges, scrub, savannas, and rural clearings, especially where there are roads or open ground for foraging. Cryptically patterned in mottled browns, greys, and buff, it blends perfectly with leaf litter and soil during the day. A narrow white throat patch and white in the wings and tail—more prominent in males—are visible in flight or display. Nocturnal and crepuscular, the Common Pauraque becomes active at dusk, often seen sitting on roads or open paths where it hawks insects. It feeds mainly on moths, beetles, and other flying insects, catching them in buoyant, twisting flight or sallying up from the ground.

Common Pauraque

Nyctidromus albicollis

Diet

  • Primarily nocturnal flying insects, including moths, beetles, termites, ants, grasshoppers, crickets, and flying ants.

  • Also feeds on other large insects and occasionally small spiders.

  • Hunts at dusk and during the night by flying from the ground or a low perch to capture insects in mid-air, often along roads, forest trails, and clearings.

Range

  • Found from southern Texas through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and much of South America to northern Argentina.

  • Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a common year-round resident.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, tropical evergreen forests, woodland edges, scrublands, second-growth, plantations, and forest clearings, usually below 2,000 m.

  • Frequently rests motionless on the ground during the day, relying on its cryptic plumage for camouflage.

Male / Female

  • Male: Mottled gray-brown plumage with intricate black, buff, and chestnut patterning; conspicuous white patches on the throat, wings, and outer tail that are especially visible in flight.

  • Female: Similar cryptic plumage but with buff-coloured (rather than white) throat, wing, and tail patches.

  • The sexes are most easily distinguished in flight, when the male's bright white markings are visible.

Size

  • Length: 26–30 cm (10.2–11.8 in)

  • Wingspan: 48–60 cm (19–24 in)

  • Weight: 45–90 g

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