A short note from African ornithologist and birder, Ian Sinclair, to South African Bird Net indicates that he and three others (Vernon Head, Gerry Nicholls and Dennis Weir) may have rediscovered the mythical Nechisar Nightjar Caprimulgus solala. This species was described from a wing specimen that was collected 20 years ago; the species has not been seen since.
Here is a copy of Ian’s email:
“Four of us ( me, Vernon Head, Gerry Nicholls (USA) and Dennis Weir (Nth Ireland) gathered in Addis Ababa on 18 April and drove two days to Arber Minch in a remote are in the south of Ethiopia and nearby to the Nichesar Plain.
20 years ago a team of researchers found a nightjar road kill on the Nechisar Plain and kept the wing. Later at the British Museum they discovered this wing didn’t fit any known African nightjar and they described it new to science. I examined the wing when researching the African Field guide and drooled over the fabulous wing and dreamed of seeing the bird.
A tortuous 3 hour drive (only 20ks) to the site of the road kill (just a rutted track) and a long anxiety filled wait till dusk. Found the usual local nightjars quickly…Donaldson-smith’s and Sombre..both fairly small species and then eye shine on a very large nightjar in the spotlamp. When flushed the huge skua-like wing patches were striking and brilliantly white…quite unlike any other nightjar in Africa. This was obviously the male …the collected wing has a buffy carpal patch and could be a young male or female.
Fuller details to be published later.”
The Birdlife International factsheet on this species has more information:
This species is known from only a single (incomplete) specimen from one location. It is reasonable to assume that it is endemic to the Nechisar plains, and hence is treated as Vulnerable owing to this small range and the potential threat to the habitat from over-exploitation by local people. However, it remains extremely poorly known and further information is needed to validate this evaluation. [more here]
Exciting stuff!
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