Nubian Nightjar Caprimulgus nubicus Scientific name definitions

The Nubian Nightjar is a relatively small-bodied nightjar of dry, open scrub mainly in eastern and northeastern Africa, but its range extends north discontinuously via the Rift Valley to the southern Levant, including across the Red Sea to southwest Arabia, as well as on the Yemeni-administrated island of Socotra. This species exhibits considerable plumage variation across its range, which may reflect subspecific (or higher) differences, local geomorphological conditions (1 Kirwan, G. M. (2004). Some remarks on the taxonomy of Nubian Nightjar Caprimulgus nubicus, with particular reference to C. n. jonesi Ogilvie-Grant & Forbes, 1899. Bulletin of African Bird Club 11(2):117–125. Close ), or some combination thereof. Like other nightjars, it is a nocturnal aerial insectivore, feeding mainly on moths and other flying insects. It is understudied across most of its range; however, recent work has begun to fill some of the gaps in our cumulative knowledge of the species. For example, Perlman (2 Perlman, Y. (2007). Foraging ecology, body temperature patterns and space use characteristics of the Nubian Nightjar, Caprimulgus nubicus, in Israel. M.S. thesis, Ben Gurion University, Midreshet Ben Ggurion, Israel. Close ) has shown that Nubian Nightjars use torpor (daily hypothermia) regularly on cold nights, like many other nightjars, and swifts (Apodidae) (3 McKechnie, A. E., and B. G. Lovegrove (2002). Avian facultative hypothermic responses: a review. Condor 104(4):705–724. Close ).