Rufous-cheeked Nightjar

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena) is a species of nightjar in the Caprimulgidae family. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. References - * BirdLife International 2004. Caprimulgus rufigena. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007. More

The Rufous-cheeked nightjar is common in large parts of southern Africa, being especially populous in Botswana and South Africa. It is an intra-African migrant, breeding in southern Africa and moving to north at the end of the breeding season. It lives in a variety of habitats, ranging from Kalahari savanna to open woodland and the Karoo. It eats exclusively insects, hunting near waterholes at dusk. More

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar found in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Pennant-winged Nightjar The Pennant-winged Nightjar found in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. More

page 271 also a picture of the Rufous-cheeked Nightjar on page 209. The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar belongs to the family of birds classified as caprimulgidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is also known by these other names: Rufous-necked Nightjar, Rufous-eared Nightjar, Rufous-naped Nightjar, Angola Rufous-cheeked Nightjar. The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. More

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar occurs in the drier to very arid areas of Botswana, the northwestern provinces and the Karoo. They prefer completely open country like Bushmanland. In Bushmanland they are called Langasems (“long-winded”), because of the strange call, a chirring sound like a diesel engine. A story is told of an old farmer who said he was not going to be outdone by a bird in holding his breath, so he stopped breathing for as long as the bird called. More