Pennant-winged Nightjar
Photo © Justin Ponder
Photo © Justin Ponder — CC BY 4.0 — Source: iNaturalist #39745493The pennant-winged nightjar (Caprimulgus vexillarius) is a species of nightjar that occurs from Nigeria to northern South Africa. It is an intra-African migrant and displays remarkable sexual dimorphism in the breeding season. == Range and habitat == Their preferred habitat south of the equator is plateau woodlands, especially Miombo, where they are partial to stony or boulder-strewn hillsides. They are observed as bi-annual and social passage migrants along the Kenyan Rift Valley and Lake Victoria regions, and spend the non-breeding season in subtropical savanna from Nigeria to Sudan. == Description == The male of the species is characteristic in having a broad white band over the otherwise black primaries. In addition the males acquire a striking 2nd primary feather during the breeding season. These pennant feathers grow to greater lengths in successive years, up to twice the body length. They are dropped or broken off quickly upon completion of breeding. With the distal (9th) and proximal (1st - 3rd) primaries being longest, the wings of male birds are distinctly angular. == Habits == Foraging birds emerge in the late afternoon or directly after sunset for crepuscular feeding and are once again active before sunrise. Their diet includes a variety of…
Serengeti National Park
Tanzania
+558 birds+57 mammals
Across Tanzania's northern plateau, where volcanic soils meet acacia woodland and open grassland, unfolds one of Earth's most dynamic ecosystems. The Serengeti National Park sprawls across…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVirunga National Park
Uganda
+418 birds+13 mammals
Where the Western Rift Valley fractures the landscape of North Kivu, Virunga National Park sprawls across terrain as geologically dramatic as it is ecologically vital. Volcanic…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBwindi Impenetrable National Park
Kanyashogi, Uganda
+603 birds+26 mammals
Steep ridges cloaked in montane forest rise from Uganda's southwestern borderlands, where the landscape grows so dense and tangled that early explorers named it impenetrable. At…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKidepo Valley National Park
Uganda
+478 birds+24 mammals
Where the Narus and Kidepo rivers carve through northeastern Uganda's semi-arid lowlands, a landscape of sparse acacia woodland, grassland, and riverine thickets creates one of East…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMurchison Falls National Park
Uganda
+608 birds+33 mammals
Where the Victoria Nile compresses through a narrow gorge and explodes across a 45-meter precipice, the landscape speaks in thunder. Murchison Falls National Park sprawls across…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMgahinga Gorilla National Park
Cyanika, Uganda
+429 birds+6 mammals
Where the Virunga Mountains rise steeply from the Uganda–Rwanda–Democratic Republic of Congo frontier, montane forest cloaks the volcanic slopes in a dense, moisture-laden embrace. Mgahinga Gorilla…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLake Mburo National Park
Uganda
+505 birds+24 mammals
Rolling acacia woodland and scattered lakes define this intimate savanna preserve in southwestern Uganda, where the rift valley's geological drama shapes every water source and grassland.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKToro-Semliki Proposed National Park
Uganda
+474 birds+5 mammals
Where the Albertine Rift's western escarpment rises above the Semliki River valley, a vast mosaic of forest, savanna and wetland converges to create one of East…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKQueen Elizabeth National Park
Uganda
+672 birds+30 mammals
Across the southwestern escarpment of Uganda, where the Western Rift Valley descends through ancient volcanic terrain, Queen Elizabeth National Park sprawls across more than 8,300 square…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMabamba Swamp
Memere, Uganda
+464 birds+2 mammals
Across the Central Region of Uganda spreads one of Africa's most biodiverse freshwater wetlands, a sprawling nature reserve of roughly 283 square kilometres where papyrus swamps…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEKruger National Park
Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, South Africa
+540 birds+91 mammals
Across the low-lying savanna of northeastern South Africa unfolds one of Africa's largest and most ecologically intact protected areas, where acacia woodlands merge into mopane scrub…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKZiwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch
Nakasongola, Uganda
+359 birds+11 mammals
Where papyrus wetlands merge into sprawling savanna, Uganda's central landscape opens into one of East Africa's most vital rhino recovery zones. Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYNo community photos yet. Log in to add the first one.
No community observations of this species yet.