other insects that it catches in flight. It nests on the ground under closed canopies and needs an abundant leaf layer to hold the eggs. The peak months for nesting activity are April–June. The clutch is usually of 1-2 eggs, which are light brown with darker brown or purple patches. The eggs have an incubation period of 18–20 days and are primarily incubated by the male. The chicks are a cinnamon downy color and they start to fly at about 14 days after hatching. Like many ground-nesting birds, the nightjar will try to divert the attention of potential predators away from the nest by conspicuously flying away and vibrating its wings. The species may be permanently territorial. Conservation Status Estimates of the breeding population of Puerto Rican nightjars in 1962 were of less than 100 pairs. In 1968, the species was added to the endangered species list of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the IUCN Red List, where it was originally classified as Threatened. It was uplisted to Critically Endangered in 1994, but downlisted again to Endangered in 2011, after the population had been assessed as small but essentially stable. Current estimates are of 1,400-2000 mature birds, which roughly corresponds to 1984 numbers. The species is legally protected throughout its range. Puerto Rican nightjars are considered to be under pressure from habitat loss due to urban development and agricultural expansion, and through predation by introduced predators such as the small Indian mongoose and feral cats, and native predators such as owls. It is possible that the large scale deforestation that occurred during the late 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s is the reason that the nightjars are no longer found on the north part of the island. Mitigating habitat impact on private lands and controlling public access to the forest reserves during their peak nesting season has been suggested as a conservation management technique for this species. Gallery See also Fauna of Puerto Rico List of birds of Puerto Rico List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico List of Puerto Rican birds List of Vieques birds El Toro Wilderness References External links BirdLife Species Factsheet Audubon Watchlist Puerto Rican nightjar Endemic birds of Puerto Rico Puerto Rican nightjar ESA endangered species Taxa named by Alexander Wetmore