Book description
The nightjars and their allies are amongst the most difficult of all
birds to identify. Being strictly nocturnal and cryptically patterned in
shades of brown, it is often necessary to rely on size, shape, habitat
and voice to safely identify a species. The nightjars are by far the
largest family in the order and are spread throughout the world. Some
species have developed spectacular tails and wing adornments, but the
majority are fairly uniform in appearance. They inhabit both forests and
deserts and are ground-nesting. Many species are migratory. The
forest-dwelling frogmouths of Asia and Australasia and the potoos of
Latin America, adopt a less aeiral feeding strategy and nest on open
branches or in tree crevices. The unique oilbird of South American nests
colonially in caves, and the owlet-nighjars almost exclusively inhabit
Australasia. This book fully covers this popular group of birds. The
text has been thoroughly researched, both in the museum and in the
field, and the plates depict feather-by-feather detail, allowing
identification of all species, providing adequate views are obtained. As
voice is so important in nightjar identification, an accompanying CD
(priced separately) with the voices of many species will be issued
simultaneously."
