Introduction
The Tawny-collared Nightjar (Antrostomus salvini) is a nocturnal member of the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to Mexico, where its cryptic plumage helps it remain concealed in woodland, thorn forest and scrub during daylight. The species was formerly placed in the genus Caprimulgus, but Antrostomus salvini is the currently recognised scientific name in major modern taxonomic treatments.
Physical Description
The Tawny-collared Nightjar is a medium-sized nightjar, about 23 cm long. Its plumage is predominantly blackish brown, greyish brown and buff, with fine mottling and streaking that provide effective camouflage among leaf litter, bare ground and scrub.
The most distinctive feature is the broad tawny or buff collar across the nape and sides of the neck. The wings are brown to blackish brown with tawny markings, while the underparts are dark and finely spotted. The outer tail feathers are tipped with white in males and with narrower buff markings in females. Females also tend to have paler wing markings and a buffier throat band. A recorded female weighed approximately 56 g.
As in other nightjars, the species has large eyes, a broad gape and fine rictal bristles around the bill. Its short legs are adapted mainly for perching and brief movements on the ground rather than walking.
Range and Habitat
The Tawny-collared Nightjar is endemic to eastern Mexico. Its recorded range extends from Nuevo León and Tamaulipas southwards through Veracruz, with the precise southern limits varying among taxonomic and distributional sources.
It is associated mainly with arid to semi-humid habitats, including thorn forest, dry tropical woodland, dense scrub, brushy clearings and woodland edges. It generally avoids extensive, closed humid forest. The species occurs from near sea level to approximately 500 m, although local records may vary.
The Tawny-collared Nightjar is considered largely resident, but some local or seasonal movements may occur outside the breeding period. It is not regarded as a long-distance migrant.
Behaviour and Diet
The species is nocturnal and most active around dusk, during the night and before dawn. It commonly rests motionless on a low branch, stump or the ground during daylight, relying on its mottled plumage for concealment.
Its diet consists primarily of flying insects. The nightjar usually makes short sallying flights from a concealed perch to capture prey in the air, although it may also launch from the ground. Specific prey records are limited, but nightjars commonly take moths, beetles and other nocturnal insects.
The vocalisation is delivered mainly from a concealed perch and is most likely to be heard around dawn and dusk during the breeding season. Published descriptions characterise it as a short, clipped, rapidly repeated whistle or call. Detailed information about territorial behaviour and social organisation remains limited.
Breeding records indicate a season extending approximately from April to August. As with many nightjars, the eggs are probably laid directly on the ground without a constructed nest. The usual clutch is reported as two eggs, but the incubation period, parental roles and development of the young are not well documented for this species. Precise claims about a 19 to 21-day incubation period or equal incubation by both parents should therefore be treated cautiously.
Identification Tips
- Look for a medium-sized, compact nightjar with heavily mottled dark brown and greyish plumage.
- The broad tawny collar on the nape and sides of the neck is the key field mark.
- Males show conspicuous white tips on the outer tail feathers; females have narrower, buff-coloured tail markings.
- Search brushy woodland, thorn forest, dry woodland edges and scrub rather than dense humid forest.
- The species is more often detected by its evening or pre-dawn call than by sight.
- In eastern Mexico, compare it carefully with the Yucatán Nightjar (Antrostomus badius) and other local nightjars. Range, habitat, collar pattern, tail markings and vocalisations should be considered together because nightjar plumage can be difficult to interpret in poor light.
Conservation Status
The Tawny-collared Nightjar is currently assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. No reliable, species-specific population estimate is required for this article, and the available assessments do not establish a quantified global population trend.
The principal conservation concern is the loss and fragmentation of suitable scrub, thorn woodland and dry forest through agricultural expansion, logging, urban development and other land-use changes. Maintaining connected native vegetation, protecting remaining dry woodland and scrub, and improving knowledge of the species’ distribution and breeding biology are important conservation measures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the Tawny-collared Nightjar live?
It is endemic to eastern Mexico, where it occurs mainly in thorn forest, dry tropical woodland, dense scrub, brushy clearings and woodland edges.
Is the Tawny-collared Nightjar found in Central America?
No. The species is currently treated as a Mexican endemic. Older or inconsistent sources may reflect historical taxonomic treatments or confused records involving related nightjars.
What does the Tawny-collared Nightjar eat?
It feeds mainly on flying insects captured during short aerial sallies from a perch or, possibly, from the ground. Moths, beetles and other nocturnal insects are likely components of its diet.
How can it be identified in the field?
The strongest visual clues are its dark mottled plumage, broad tawny collar and, in males, broad white tips to the outer tail feathers. Its habitat and distinctive evening call are also useful for identification.
Does the Tawny-collared Nightjar migrate?
It is considered largely resident. Some individuals may make local or seasonal movements, but it is not regarded as a long-distance migrant.
Where does it lay its eggs?
The species is believed to lay its eggs directly on the ground, usually producing a clutch of two. Detailed information about incubation and chick development remains limited.
References
- BirdLife International. n.d. Tawny-collared Nightjar Antrostomus salvini. BirdLife DataZone and IUCN Red List assessment database. Accessed 8 September 2026. https://datazone.birdlife.org/
- Cleere, N. 2010. Nightjars: A Guide to Nightjars and Related Nightbirds. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
- Gill, F., Donsker, D. and Rasmussen, P., eds. 2026. IOC World Bird List, version 15.2. International Ornithological Congress. Accessed 8 September 2026. https://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Howell, S. N. G. and Webb, S. 1995. A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- IUCN. 2020. Antrostomus salvini. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020. Accessed 8 September 2026. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22689695/163501030
- Schulenberg, T. S., Arizmendi, M. d. C., Rodríguez-Flores, C. I., Soberanes-González, C. A., Johnson, A. and Sousa, J. 2020. Tawny-collared Nightjar (Antrostomus salvini), version 1.0. In T. S. Schulenberg, ed., Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.tacnig1.01
- Bodrati, A. and Cockle, K. 2018. Eggs and incubation of the Atlantic Forest subspecies of Silky-tailed Nightjar (Antrostomus sericocaudatus sericocaudatus) and congeners. Ornitología Neotropical 29: 1–11. https://ornneo.ornitologianeotropical.org/index.php/ornneo/article/view/308
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System. n.d. Antrostomus salvini (Hartert, 1892), Tawny-collared Nightjar. Accessed 8 September 2026. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1077354
Related posts
