Buff-collared Nightjar

Basic Description

The Buff-collared Nightjar’s bold cinnamon neck collar and peculiar song—an accelerating, ascending “cuk-cuk-cuk-cuk-cukacheea”—help set it apart from other camouflaged nightjars in its range. Like other members of their family, these nocturnal foragers use their huge mouths to capture flying insects in the dark. Males sing from low perches, and females lay their eggs directly on the ground. Buff-collared Nightjar inhabits canyons, woodlands, and forests from northern Central America to northwestern Mexico and barely extends into southeastern Arizona.