Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal instectivorous birds within the household Caprimulgidae and the order Caprimulgiformes.
These birds are discovered all all over the world, apart from Antarctica, and sure island teams such because the Seychelles.
Characterised by lengthy wings, brief legs, and really brief payments, nightjars take flying bugs on the wing, normally at evening. Throughout the day, they sleep on the bottom or perched, normally lengthwise, on a department.
“Nightjars are among the many most troublesome chook species to review resulting from their unobtrusive and nocturnal conduct and cryptic plumage,” stated lead creator Dr. George Sangster and his colleagues.
Of their analysis, the authors centered on the nightjars of the Caprimulgus macrurus complicated.
This species complicated is distributed from Pakistan to Australia and contains six morphologically related however vocally distinct species.
“Fieldwork on Timor and Wetar, Lesser Sunda Islands, has resulted within the discovery of a seventh species within the complicated, which we describe as a brand new species,” the researchers stated.
“This species has beforehand been confused with Caprimulgus macrurus, Caprimulgus celebensis and Caprimulgus manillensis nevertheless it differs from these and all different species within the complicated by at the least 13 vocal characters.”
Named Caprimulgus ritae, or the Timor nightjar, the brand new species isn’t present in different elements of the vary of the Caprimulgus macrurus complicated.
The chook is a forest specialist that has been recorded from a variety of tropical forests from tall evergreen to extremely deciduous dry forest largely within the lowlands under 1,000 m, with one report from 1,500 m.
“Caprimulgus ritae is the fourth chook species identified to be endemic to each Timor and Wetar,” the scientists stated.
“Different species are the Timor imperial pigeon (Ducula cineracea), the Wetar floor dove (Pampusana gallicolumba hoedtii) and the iris lorikeet (Saudareos iris).”
“Six extra species on Timor and Wetar are in any other case discovered solely on Atauro, Roti and/or Semau. Therefore, the distribution of Caprimulgus ritae is mirrored by that of a number of different chook species.”
“Wetar is nearer to Timor (51 km) than to Alor (76 km), with the stepping-stone Atauro Island solely 23 km off Timor and 21 km off Wetar.”
“The dearth of divergence between the cyt b sequences from Timor and Wetar means that colonization of Wetar from Timor, or vice versa, was in all probability very current.”
The research was revealed within the journal Ibis.
Quotation:
Ben F. King et al. A brand new species of nightjar (Caprimulgus) from Timor and Wetar, Lesser Sunda Islands, Wallacea. Ibis, revealed on-line June 24, 2024; doi: 10.1111/ibi.13340
This article by Natali Anderson was first revealed by Sci Information on 1 July 2024. Lead Picture: Male Caprimulgus ritae, Wetar, on October 13, 2014. Picture credit score: James Eaton.
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