at dawn and dusk these miniature dragons chase their insect prey across the sky in a killer game of tag but all is eerily still and quiet when the sun is out and these birds go undercover as Twigs today we are talking about night jars masters of camouflage by day tiny Terrors By Night [Music] hi my name is irania eyer and you're watching animal logic's world of birds night jars are Darkness loving birds that can be found across the world in some Regions they're known as Nighthawks or quite self-explanatorily bug eaters there are almost 100 different
night jar species spread out between three subfamilies and 20 Genera they can be found on every continent except for Antarctica they also shy away from dry Mountain areas and a few select Island groups some well-known birds in this order include common Nighthawks whippoorwills to perakas and Eurasian night jars these bug-eyed bug eaters were grouped together with fellow POTUS and frog mounts until 2021 when the decision was made to split them into different orders one characteristic that was shared among all of these birds was their huge mouths I'm talking ginormous it is these big mouths that
earned the night jars the nickname goat suckers folk tales from more than 2 000 years ago recount stories of this bird swooping across the evening Sky to presumably attack goat udders the idea was so pervasive that the scientific name for the family is Capra emojiformes which literally translates to goat milkers in reality though they were probably flying around eating insects that are found near farm animals like goats let's chalk this up to bad Eye Care and poor lighting during the Dark Ages even with 2020 Vision you would need a laser sharp focus and maybe infrared
goggles to spot these statues in the wild night jars use cryptic coloration as a defense tactic to blend into their surroundings their feathers are a combination of black white and every shade of brown you can imagine [Music] for the species that roost in trees they even position themselves horizontally to look like a piece of branch [Music] there is lots of physical variation in the goat milker family with the few among them sure to steal your heart but first let's start with the graveyard night jar this bird is found in subtropical forests across Southeast Asia it
is the largest nightjar with individuals getting up to 40 centimeters long it is also the second heaviest night jar weighing up to 150 grams I don't know about you but with the two little beige Tufts atop this bird's head it reminds me a lot of Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon though the dragon war could use a little bit of work [Music] tied for second place for the do these birds actually exist award are the liar tailed night jar and the pennant wing night jar both these birds have abnormally large feathers that give them
a spectacular mythical Edge liar-tailed night drawers of the western Andes have outer tail feathers that are twice as long as their body pennant wing night jars on the other hand are found in Africa and have their second primary Wing feather that Trails behind them majestically in flight a great Contender for third place would be the standard wing night jar whose tale of two tails would leave anybody speechless it's likely that all these extravagant feathers play an important role during mating flight displays if the male is successful in impressing the female they will mate and then
she will lay one to three eggs a perfect ending to a tale of two tails [Music] most night jars prefer field and open habitats for nesting especially Woodland edges some are ground nesters and will scrape out little bowl-like shapes that will hold their eggs which are often patterned to blend in with their environment others take it a step further and nest in small Ledges on a tree branch across most night jar species the male and female share the incubating responsibilities for about two to three weeks though typically it's the female that spends most of the
time on the nest here Mom and Dad will try to minimize movement to prevent detection from predators like Pine Martens and red foxes but when threatened birds like night jars and killdeer use a cunning strategy where they fake an injury to guide their predators away from their nests sneaky sneaky [Music] once the chicks hatched the parents get to work feeding the nestlings in the case of the common poor will while the male is feeding the first clutch the female will sometimes lay a second clutch a hundred meters from the first Nest site this bird definitely
takes the cake for most efficient parenting newly hatched chicks are dependent on both mom and dad for food night jars are insectivores and their preferred meals usually consist of swarming insects like mosquitoes and flies because these birds have unusually large mouths they often Chomp on some of the bigger flying insects like beetles mods and winged ants similar to owls chick and adult night jars eat all the nutritious parts of the insect but regurgitate all the indigestible materials as pellets nestlings are independent and ready to fend for themselves two weeks after hatching many night jars like
the Indian night jar are residents which means that they spend all their time within the same region other night jars like the common nighthawk are migratory Western Canadian populations of nighthawks have been radio tagged and are found to travel between their breeding grounds in Alberta to their wintering grounds in the Amazon another North American Niger species does something altogether different common poor will is unlike all other birds in that it enters the state of torpor torpor is a physiological state that only select birds like hummingbirds doves and poor whales can enter to conserve energy by
lowering body temperature breathing and heart rate for weeks and sometimes months on end some indigenous communities like the Hopi tribe have known about this behavior for a while they call Poor Wills holchico or the sleeping one this likely refers to the behavior when these birds are found among piles of rock in a sleep-like state of torbor while these birds don't cause much of a Ruckus when they are in torpor the opposite is true during their active periods in spring summer and fall especially during feeding times many night jars are also named for the sounds they
make for example the whipperwill [Music] or the chuckwall's Widow it is no wonder why some night jar calls have been nicknamed The Witches tackle and have been suspected of witchery themselves take a listen to the European Niger for proof I'm not so sure I'd be able to fall asleep peacefully after hearing those ghastly sounds in a dark Forest what I do know though is I would prefer hearing these bird calls over a silent Forest devoid of Niger activity thankfully Nitro species are doing okay though a few are at risk of Extinction and many have decreasing
populations there is still a lot Unknown about the factors contributing to their decline though it is largely suspected to be a result of crashing insect numbers across the world due to heavy pesticide use and habitat destruction some night jars like the Indian night jars are especially vulnerable to vehicle strikes as they nest or Roost on roads they freeze in place when flashed with bright car headlights and unfortunately perish as a result of their lack of movement there is however lots of work being done to better understand this unique group of birds across the world and
subsequent efforts to protect key habitat and maintain viable insect populations though much more is needed with so many different species each with their own kooky characteristics it's hard to pick a favorite out of this family though between you and me it would be the greater night jar what a distinguished Channel then what's your favorite it's down below and don't forget to hit subscribe for new episodes every week keep soaring to new heights I'll see you later thanks for watching hi my name is irania Iyer and you're watching animal logic's world of birds night jars are
Darkness loving birds that can be found around the world I'll keep going okay okay okay there can be found across the world though they're also known as Nighthawks or quite self-explanatory bug eaters in some regions too scratchy no they're tingly I don't know if it's gonna might be an issue issue okay hi my name is irania and you're watching animal logic's world of birds I can take them off I have like four other pairs [Music] what's your favorite let me know in the comments down below and don't forget to hit subscribe just hit me so
close oh man
