Birdfinding.info ⇒ The isolated St. Lucia form of Rufous Nightjar is uncommon, local, and endangered. It is most reliably found in the Marquis area: at Marquis Bay, Grande Anse, Garrand, Marquis Estates, and Ravine La Chaloupe. Sings most persistently from March into May.
“St. Lucia Nightjar”
Antrostomus rufus otiosus
Endemic to St. Lucia, where its stronghold is dry deciduous woodlands and scrub along the northeast coast from around Marquis Bay south to Louvet. It also occurs in lower numbers along the northwest coast from Castries to Anse-la-Raye. There have been a few isolated reports from humid forest in the southern interior of St. Lucia as well.
Identification
A large, mostly brown nightjar with a pronounced pale throat-strap and rufous highlights in its upperparts. Slightly larger, darker, and less rusty than other forms of Rufous Nightjar.
No other nightjar is known or suspected to occur regularly on St. Lucia. Antillean and Common Nighhawks likely occur at least occasionally on migration, but differ in shape, behavior, and white bars on the primaries.
“St. Lucia Nightjar,” female. (Marquis, St. Lucia; March 1, 2018.) © Lenn Isidore
“St. Lucia Nightjar.” (Grande Anse, St. Lucia.) © Bruno Kern
Notes
Monotypic form. One of three or four potentially distinct forms of Rufous Nightjar. Some authorities formerly classified the “St. Lucia Nightjar” as a separate species, but its plumage and vocalizations strongly resemble those of continental Rufous.
References
Bond, J. 1979. Birds of the West Indies (Fourth Edition). Collins, London.
Cleere, N. 2019. Rufous Nightjar (Antrostomus rufus). In Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D.A. Christie, and E. de Juana, eds.). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. https://www.hbw.com/node/55186. (Accessed October 29, 2019.)
Cleere, N., and D. Nurney. 1998. Nightjars: A Guide to Nightjars and Related Nightbirds. Pica Press, Sussex.
eBird. 2019. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed October 29, 2019.)
Holyoak, D.T. 2001. Nightjars and Their Allies. Oxford University Press.
Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Rumelt, R. 2014. Rufous Nightjar (Antrostomus rufus), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T.S. Schulenberg, ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.rufnig1.01.