Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Everett); Bohol (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Luzon (Cuming, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor); Masbate (McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Goodfellow); Mindoro (McGregor, Porter); Negros (Keay); Palawan (Platen); Romblon (McGregor); Ticao (McGregor).
Male.—General coloration and pattern very much as in C. macrurus; post-auricular area and band on hind neck light buff; white area on throat divided, forming two patches; fore breast darker with no rufous; barring on abdomen and under tail-coverts broken, resulting from the larger light tips. The following characters are diagnostic; white spot on first primary washed with buff, small and reaching but half way to shaft; spot on second quill a little larger, not reaching shaft and a narrow line indicates spot on outer web; spots on third and fourth quills reaching shaft on both webs and on the fourth the included section of shaft nearly all white; outer pair of rectrices with white area about 32 mm. in length and on inner web only; second pair with white area across both webs. A male from Romblon measures: Length, 255; wing, 170; tail, 125; tarsus, 15; middle toe with claw, 24.
Female.—Spots on first and second primaries dark fulvous; spot on third primary not reaching shaft; otherwise like the male. A female from Romblon measures: Length, 255; wing, 167; tail, 115; tarsus, 15; middle toe with claw, 24.
Young.—Upper parts very much as in the adult, but the blackish brown spots on head and scapulars greatly reduced in size; as a whole the upper parts are dark silvery gray; white throat patches wanting, being indicated by two small buff areas; feathers of breast vermiculated with light brown and light buff with lighter buff tips; abdomen and flanks light fulvous, distinctly barred with brown; the partially developed wings and tail with markings as in the adult.
Eggs.—A set of two eggs collected May 22, 1895, by Whitehead near Cape Engaño, Cagayan Province, Luzon, are described as follows: “Shape elliptical oval; ground-color pale cream; under-markings pale lavender-gray; irregularly blotched over-markings pale brown, but darker than in C. griseatus. In one egg the over-markings are almost wanting, being reduced to one or two blotches. Measurements 29 mm. by 22.” (Grant and Whitehead.)
The Manila nightjar is the most common species of its genus in the Islands and has a considerable vertical range, being found in the pine woods of Benguet Province as well as in the lowlands and near the sea. Its food consists largely of moths and beetles which it takes on the wing. During the day it rests in dark thickets and comes out to feed only after sunset. Its presence in a locality may be detected by hearing its peculiar note which has given it the Tagalog name “tucaroc.”
309. CAPRIMULGUS MACRURUS Horsfield.
HORSFIELD’S NIGHTJAR.
- Caprimulgus macrurus Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13, pt. 1, 142; Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 16, 537; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 87; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 57; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1903), 3, 68, pl. 1, fig. 8.
Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Palawan (Whitehead, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Papuan Islands, northeastern Australia, Greater Sunda Islands, Java.