At dusk we see birds that fly fast to their nests. But there are certain birds that hunt only in night's darkness and sleep at daytime. One such bird is the Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus, Goatsucker, Common Indian Nightjar, 'Pakki' in Tamil).
I had thought that all the noises of the night came from only crickets, beetles and frogs - until I heard one of it coming from this nightjar! Nightjar calls like this: 'dit dit didirrrre .. dit dit dit didirrrre.' It dwells and breeds on open lands. Its body parts have the same colour as that of the lands so that it is barely visible when it sits and sleeps without showing any movement. It hunts and eats moths and other insects that come out at night. It makes no nest at all. Female lays two eggs that hatch out into brown chicks having opened eyes.
It is a wonder bird seen flying noiselessly at night, stunning the bird-watchers while they are on their night safari!
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