Lyre-tailed Nightjar

The Lyre‑tailed Nightjar is one of the most spectacular nightbirds of the Andes, instantly recognizable by the male’s extraordinary tail streamers, which can reach more than twice the length of its body and extend the total length to over 60 cm. The body itself is cryptically patterned in browns, grays, buff, and cinnamon, blending seamlessly with forest shadows. Males show a broad tawny collar around the nape and white‑tipped tail streamers, while females lack the elongated tail and have more prominent rufous tones on the wings. Both sexes have mottled plumage that provides excellent camouflage during daytime roosting, and their large eyes and wide gape reflect their nocturnal, aerial‑insectivorous lifestyle.

• Species eBird Ecuador Link: Lyre-tailed Nightjar

In Ecuador, the Lyre‑tailed Nightjar occurs along the Andean slopes, especially in humid montane forests and cloud forests between roughly 1,100 and 2,100 meters, though it can range from 800 to 3,500 meters depending on local conditions. It favors steep ravines, cliffs, landslides, and road cuts within forested landscapes, often near running water. At dusk, males perform display flights from these slopes, making them easier to observe than during the day, when they roost on vines, branches, or occasionally the ground. Ecuador lies within the range of the nominate subspecies, which extends through western Venezuela and Colombia into northern Peru.

This species is famous for its dusk display flights, during which males sally out from cliffs and ravines, flaunting their enormous tail streamers in looping, buoyant patterns that resemble a floating ribbon. Its sweet, whistled song rises slightly in pitch with each repeated phrase, carrying across valleys at twilight. During the day, males often roost on exposed vines or branches where their long tails can hang freely—an unusual behavior among nightjars, which typically hide on the ground. The Lyre‑tailed Nightjar is also part of a small Andean lineage that includes the Swallow‑tailed Nightjar, and the two species sometimes overlap in range but differ in elevation and tail shape.