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(COMMON) PAURAQUE  Nyctidromus albicollis 26–30cm. Familiar and wide­

spread large nightjar of varied habitats, from pastures and roadsides to humid

forest edge, mangroves, plantations, dry forest. Nests and mainly roosts on

ground, in leaf litter under bushes and trees, not in open habitats. Hunts

mainly from ground, also low perches, whence sallies out with stiff, flicking

wingbeats and flat-winged glides, often returning to or near same spot. Note

very long tail at rest, cf. Antrostomus nightjars; also bold scapular pattern, rows

of buff spots on wing coverts, pale underparts with fine dark barring. White

wing and tail flashes of male striking and distinctive; note buff wing band of

female; imm. male resembles female but with more white in tail, paler wing band. SOUNDS: Song (mainly

spring–summer) a loud, slightly burry whistled pWEER! repeated steadily every 2–3 secs; year-round a

quieter p’weéir, often preceded by hesitant, stuttering clucks. Nervous quiet clucks from perched birds.

STATUS: Fairly common to common on both slopes, locally to 1700m. (Mexico and s. Texas to S America.)

WHITE-TAILED NIGHTJAR  Hydropsalis cayennensis 20.5–21.5cm. Poorly

known small nightjar of savanna, grassland, and open ranchland with scattered

bushes, open low scrub; roosts and nests on ground, often near or under a shady

bush. Typically hunts from ground, much like appreciably larger and longer-

tailed Pauraque, which is often in the same habitat; also cf. Common and Lesser

Nighthawks, which have long wings reaching to around tail tip. Note small size,

bright cinnamon hindcollar, buff scapular lines, tail pattern, and squared to

slightly notched tail. SOUNDS: Song a high overslurred whistle preceded by a

quiet, clipped tick, t’seeeiu, every 2–11 or so secs, not repeated as steadily or

interminably as many nightjars; quality suggests Black Phoebe or some other songbird, not like other

nightjars in Costa Rica. STATUS: Not well known in Costa Rica, with few documented records in recent

decades Uncommon to fairly common but local on Pacific slope, to 900m; also reported from s. Caribbean

slope where status unclear. (Costa Rica to S America.)

OCELLATED POORWILL  Nyctiphrynus ocellatus 21–22cm. Small dark night­

jar of humid lowland forest and edge, perhaps mainly in hilly country. Hunts

mainly from mid-levels in trees, less often from ground; often sings from perch

in dense cover. Note voice, rather plain face and breast with narrow white

forecollar (can be concealed), dark ‘eye-spots’ on scapulars, white dots on

upperwing coverts and belly, small white tail corners. No similar species in Costa

Rica. Sexes similar but female averages rustier. SOUNDS: Song a strongly burry,

slightly downslurred whistled wheíurrr, every 2–8 secs; lower, less emphatic, and

more quavering than Pauraque. STATUS:  Scarce and local in n. Caribbean

lowlands. (Honduras to S America.)