g and that of the fledglings 4.63 ± 0.25 g. Vocalizations The species has a variety of calls. The territorial tone is a high-sharp whistle, seeeeert sweeeert seeeet, constantly repeated every 1 to 3 seconds. Whistles can be heard at dusk or dawn. The flight whistle is usually heard during the breeding season as a high cheet. Females when flushed produce nasal sound like tchree-ee. Distribution and habitat The band-winged nightjar is a South American species that can be found at elevations of up to 4200 m. Its habitat ranges from the forest edge to semi-arid shrub lands, open areas and even on the roof of buildings. They are mainly nocturnal birds. They roost in a variety of environments from the forest floor to buildings. In Rio de Janeiro, band-winged nightjars have shown a behavioural plasticity, as they roost near sources of light in order to eat the insects that are attracted there. Behaviour and ecology Food Band-winged nightjars feed on insects, mainly moths, beetles and termites. Breeding The breeding season varies by region. In western Venezuela, it is from February–September; For Ecuador, Colombia and Chile, is believed to be around late July, February to November and November, respectively; and for Argentina and SE Brazil (Río de Janeiro) from September to October. Band-winged nightjars do not construct a nest, instead the eggs are laid on a ground depression amongst dense vegetation, bare ground, or the side of roads. Usually, they lay 1-2 elliptical eggs each breeding season which vary in colour from creamy pink, whitish, spotted brown, lilac and grey. Eggs are approximately 25 mm long by 20 mm wide, and weigh ~5 g. SystelluraThe asynchrony of the laid eggs can cause differences in the dimensions among eggs of the same clutch. In courtship, the male bends over to the ground, revealing the white spots on the rectices. The eggs hatch after a period of 17 days. Females invest intense periods of time during the day (~14 h), while males normally only spend 20% of their time with the clutch. Parents normally abandon the nest during dust or dawn; there is no evidence of parents moving eggs from the nest. References band-winged nightjar band-winged nightjar Birds of South America band-winged nightjar band-winged nightjar Taxonomy articles created by Polbot