Endemic Bird of the Day : Hispaniolan Nightjar

Abstract

Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) day 167 poster, dedicated to the Hispaniolan Nightjar. If you ever walk through the forests of Hispaniola at night, listen closely. A ghostly call—pi-tan-guaaaa—echoes through the trees. It belongs to the elusive Hispaniolan Nightjar, or Pitanguá, a bird many locals know by sound but rarely see. Endemic to Hispaniola, it inhabits mid-elevation forests in the Dominican Republic, especially in the Cordillera Central, Sierra de Bahoruco, and Loma de Cabrera, typically between 300 and 750 meters. Though rare today in Haiti, historical records suggest it was once more widespread.