A small, secretive bird that looks like a handful of forest floor come to life. It’s covered in a mix of browns, greys, and blacks that perfectly match dry leaves and twigs. When it squats flat against the ground or a low branch, eyes half-closed, it almost disappears, which is exactly what it wants. A thin dark stripe runs from the bill back over the head, the throat shows fine pale and dark markings, and males have a black throat with a thin white bar that you notice only if they tilt their head just right.

In flight, the male flashes neat white spots near the tips of the tail feathers, like tiny torch beams in the dark, while the female’s spots are buff rather than white. Huge dark eyes, a tiny bill, and whisker-like bristles around the mouth complete the classic nightjar look: a soft, cryptic insect-hunter built for life in the half-light.

This bird exists in just one small corner of the world. It’s endemic to Puerto Rico and now mostly confined to dry coastal and lower montane forests in the southwest of the island, in places like Guánica Dry Forest, Susúa State Forest, Guayanilla Hills, and nearby areas.

Historically, it probably ranged more widely, including moist forests in the north, but large-scale deforestation and development there seem to have wiped it out from that part of the island. Today it prefers closed-canopy dry forest on limestone soils with lots of leaf litter and an open, uncluttered understory. By day, it roosts on the ground or on low branches, trusting its camouflage. At dusk, it comes alive, launching into short flights to snatch moths, beetles, and other flying insects from the air with its wide, bristle-framed mouth. Its song is a series of rapid “whip” or “took” notes that repeat in a steady rhythm, one of the most distinctive night sounds of these forests.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Puerto Rico

4,100-14,900

Official estimate

VU

2023