Hydropsalis torquata (J.F.Gmelin, 1789)

Common Name & Distinctive Feature

Hydropsalis torquata, commonly known as the scissor-tailed nightjar, has its most distinctive feature in the male's elongated outer tail feathers, which are almost twice as long as its body.

Body Length

Excluding these elongated feathers, both sexes measure 25 to 30 cm (9.8 to 11.8 in) in length; including them, the male can reach a total length of up to 66 cm (26 in).

Weight

Males weigh 47.5 to 63 g (1.7 to 2.2 oz), while females weigh 48 to 60 g (1.7 to 2.1 oz).

Nominate Male Upperparts

Males of the nominate subspecies have brown upperparts marked with grayish white speckles, and the middle of the back also has blackish streaks and tawny spots.

Nominate Male Hindneck Collar

They have a broad tawny collar on the hindneck.

Nominate Male Tail Feathers

Their tail feathers are brown, and the long outer pair has broad white tips.

Nominate Male Underparts

The chin is buffy, the throat is buff or whitish with brown spots or bars, the breast is buff with narrow brown bars, and the belly and flanks are buff with wide brown bars.

Nominate Male Wing Markings

The wings are generally brown with tawny or buff streaks and spots, and lack the white band present on the wings of many other nightjar species.

Female Plumage

Females have tawnier wings, no white coloring on the tail, and their outer tail feathers are only slightly longer than the inner ones.

Subspecies H. t. furcifer Traits

The subspecies H. t. furcifer is larger than the nominate subspecies, generally paler overall, and has a buffier nuchal collar.

Song Characteristics

The scissor-tailed nightjar's song is a prolonged sequence of tsips, sometimes continuing for minutes on end.

Song Delivery Context

The song is given at dusk and dawn, both from a perch and during flight.

Other Vocalizations

The species also has an extremely high tsig flight call, and a low clucking sound.

Nominate Subspecies Distribution

The nominate subspecies is distributed from east central Peru across central Brazil, with an additional isolated population in Suriname.

H. t. furcifer Distribution

H. t. furcifer ranges from southern Peru through Bolivia and across southern Brazil, extending south to Paraguay, northern and central Argentina, and Uruguay.

Habitat Types

Scissor-tailed nightjars inhabit open and semi-open landscapes including second growth, arid scrub, grasslands, acacia groves, pastures, and urban parks.

Common Occurrence Areas

They can often be seen along roads, especially those that border sugar cane fields.

Elevation Range

In terms of elevation, they generally occur from sea level up to 1,100 m (3,600 ft), but have been found as high as 1,700 m (5,600 ft) in Peru and 2,700 m (8,900 ft) in Bolivia.

Northern Population Movement

Northern populations of the scissor-tailed nightjar are generally non-migratory resident populations.

Southern Population Movement

Southerly populations are thought to be migratory, spending the austral winter in southern Amazonia.