Large-eared nightjar: a creepy bird of incredible beauty (7 photos)

When you look into the huge, empty eyes of a great-eared nightjar, it's easy to believe that you're looking at a terrifying, supernatural bird. That it really does steal milk from goats and sheep, that it's the reincarnated soul of an unbaptized child. But as is often the case in the wild, every strange trait has a reason. And it's not due to supernatural quirks, but to the simple necessity of survival.





Mutant! Pokémon! So, what other compliments are there?

Why do you think the Greater Eared Nightjar screeches incessantly (and very eerily) at night? It's certainly not to scare small children or lost travelers. It's simply fighting for territory with other nightjars.



AA ... It's also impossible to determine the boundaries visually—visibility in the dense forests of Southeast Asia is no more than 100 meters. So the poor nightjars are forced to squawk like idiots all night long.





Screamed all night and didn't get enough sleep :(

Huge, pitch-black eyes glow in the dark not because they contain a fiery fire, but because it's easier for them to see. After all, the larger the eyes and the larger the pupil, the more light will enter. And if you additionally line the bottom of the eye with a reflective layer, the diffused and redirected light will produce a sharper and brighter image. And the frightening orange glow is just a small side effect. effect.



Look into my eyes!



Do you see the lights of the abyss burning in them?

And even the strange face isn't all that creepy once you figure out what the animal needs it for. The wide beak, covering half the face, functions as a net for catching flying insects, which make up more than 90% of the nightjars' diet. And the strange feathers The protrusions that make the nightjar resemble mythical dragons act as additional insect traps. The bird doesn't even need to catch a fly with its mouth; it just nudges it with its snout, and the insect will be carried into its open mouth.



I suggest making a film: "How to Tame a Nightjar."

That's it, no scary facts or frightening revelations. These are extravagant, but completely harmless and even beneficial birds, which are also excellent parents. After all, the female lays only one egg a year, and both parents guard it like the apple of their eye! Somehow, that last fact doesn't add up. into a picture of a creepy otherworldly creature, right?



This little ball of fluff is a nightjar chick.