Nechisar nightjar

Nechisar nightjar
Topside of the type specimen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Caprimulgiformes
Family: Caprimulgidae
Genus: Caprimulgus
Species:
C. solala
Binomial name
Caprimulgus solala
Safford, Ash, Duckworth, Telfer & Zewdie, 1995

The Nechisar nightjar (Caprimulgus solala) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is now thought to be a hybrid. It is endemic to Ethiopia.

The species was first discovered in 1990 when researchers discovered a decomposing specimen in the Nechisar National Park. After bringing back a single wing from the specimen to the Natural History Museum in London, it was determined to be a previously unknown species, based on a combination of its wing length and the position of a white patch on the outer primaries. Its specific name, solala, means "only a wing".

Its natural habitat is subtropical. It is probably endemic to Nechisar National Park.[citation needed]

In 2025, researchers taking DNA samples from the Nechisar specimen and other African nightjars concluded that the individual was likely a hybrid of a female Standard-winged Nightjar and a male Freckled Nightjar. This hybrid combination would be a first confirmed case of hybridization of Old World nightjars.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2021). "Caprimulgus solala". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021 e.T22724428A179079192. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22724428A179079192.en.
  2. ↑ "Caprimulgus solala". BirdLife International 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  3. 1 2 LeMoult, Craig (19 July 2009). "A Single Wing Starts Quest For Mystery Bird". Weekend Edition Sunday. NPR.
  4. 1 2 Izaguirre, Frank (6 May 2025). "Has the Nechisar Nightjar Mystery Been Solved?". ABA. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  5. ↑ Shannon; van Grouw; Collinson. "Genetic and morphological analysis shows the Nechisar Nightjar is a hybrid". bioRxiv 10.1101/2025.04.08.647728.