Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)
About the Rufous-cheeked Nightjar
The rufous-cheeked nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is an intra-African migrant that breeds in the south of its range. It spends the non-breeding season in eastern Nigeria, Cameroon, southern Chad and Sudan, the Republic of the Congo, the D.R.C. and western Central African Republic. Throughout the year it can be found in Southern Africa. It is a nocturnal species that feeds on flying insects, mainly hunting at dusk and the early night. They can hunt at night thanks to their large eyes that are adept at seeing in the dark. They cannot see in complete darkness and most likely cannot see colours either. The rufous-cheeked nightjar forms monogamous pairs and the egg laying period is from September to November. It looks very similar to other African nightjars and they are frequently misidentified during research and studies.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 38 recordings for this species: 3 CC BY-NC-ND · 2 CC BY-NC-SA. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Namibia, South Africa in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeusrecording
- Fiery-necked NightjarCaprimulgus pectoralisrecording
- Indian NightjarCaprimulgus asiaticusrecording
- Jerdon's NightjarCaprimulgus atripennisrecording
- Large-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus macrurusrecording
- Mees's NightjarCaprimulgus meesirecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.