Ladder-tailed Nightjar

The Ladder‑tailed Nightjar is a medium‑sized nightjar, typically 20–24 cm long, with beautifully cryptic plumage that blends into riverbanks, sandbars, and leaf litter. Its body is patterned in browns, blacks, grays, and whites, creating a mottled camouflage typical of nightjars. Males have a longer tail with bold white wedges on the outer feathers, giving the “laddered” appearance that inspired the species’ name. Females are shorter‑tailed and more uniformly patterned. Like other nightjars, it has a wide gape, long wings, and large dark eyes adapted for nocturnal aerial insect hunting.

• Species eBird Ecuador Link: Ladder-tailed Nightjar

In Ecuador, the Ladder‑tailed Nightjar is a bird of the Amazonian lowlands, occurring along rivers, oxbow lakes, and open sandy or shrubby habitats within the Amazon Basin. It roosts during the day in vegetation near water and becomes active at dusk, foraging along river edges and sandbars. Ecuador lies within the range of the subspecies H. c. climacocerca, which occupies western Amazonia, including Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. Its preference for riparian zones makes it a species often detected by canoe or riverbank surveys.

This nightjar is a master of camouflage, often nearly invisible against sand or leaf litter until it flushes at close range. It is most active at dusk and dawn, catching insects in silent, buoyant flight. Males perform aerial courtship displays, sometimes accompanied by soft chirping calls, though the species is generally quiet compared to other nightjars. Like many nightjars, it nests directly on bare ground—often on sand or soil—where its eggs are so well camouflaged they can be nearly impossible to spot. Its dependence on riverine habitats means it is frequently encountered by researchers traveling Amazonian waterways at night.