EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Let's Play Spot the Nightjar

Eurasian Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus), Family Caprimulgidae
Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Explanation:  Can you quickly spot the Eurasian nightjar hidden in this image?  

It was late afternoon, shortly after arriving to our ger camp in southern Mongolia after a long drive across the wide steppe country.  I hiked out into the grasslands to go exploring, and ... at first I thought my eyes were deceiving me, seeing the form of a small bird sitting still, on the ground. 

I approached very slowly.  When I took my eyes off the target, it was very difficult to relocate it, as it blended in so well into the ground.  

Eventually I crept closer and had a clear view -- with photos here -- to recognize it as a lone Eurasian Nightjar, sitting on an open ground nest, in a small mound of bare soil.  Its camouflage was near-perfect, exhibiting cryptic behavior.  

European Nightjars are widespread in parts of Africa, Europe, and here in central Asia.  Their populations seem secure, although other nightjar species may not be as fortunate.