Nechisar Nightjar

Description 

Probably 25 cm  

Maximum wing chord is 18.8 cm longer than other nightjars in Ethiopia  

The appearance of this species is unknown since the specimen consisted of only one wing 

The wing looks similar to that of a female Pennant-Winged Nightjar (Caprimulgus vexillarius)  

The wing is rounded, plain, dark reddish-brown with white tips on the outer two tail feathers  

The greater primary upperwing-coverts are marked with large buff and cinnamon spots 

The secondary coverts are greyer with dark vermiculations and a buff spot  

The secondaries are dark brown with tawny-buff bars on both webs with a grey tip  

The tawny-buff bars are progressively weaker towards the outer wing  

Broad buffish-white band across the outer four primaries that are located very high up on the wing, especially on the emargination of the outer primaries 

White tips on outer two tail feathers (IUCN Red List) 

Beige patch that appears halfway up the wing 

This species is known only from a single wing from a rotting corpse that was found beside a dirt road in the Nechisar Plains in the southern Ethiopian highlands in 1990. 

This wing now rests in the archives of the British Natural History Museum in London (NPR)  

Life span 3.5 years (Data Zone-Birdlife International)  

Other Information 

This species’ movements, diet, vocal behavior, and breeding habits are unknown (Birds of the World) 

The Nechisar Nightjar is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN that made its last assessment in 2020. The species is assumed to be vulnerable and endemic since the only wing was found in a small range in the Nechisar Plains in the Nechisar National Park in Ethiopia. This is an area that is very susceptible to habitat loss caused by settlers (particularly in the town of Arba Minch near the park) who seek to expand their grazing lands and find more materials they can use for construction. The species is unlikely to be widespread and probably has a restricted range (with an extent of occurrence of 230 km²) (Data Zone-Birdlife International). The Nechisar Nightjar’s population size is unknown. However, the IUCN admits that without more information an accurate assessment is difficult (IUCN Red List). 

For a distribution map of the Nechisar Nightjar, click here. 

Only the left wing was able to be salvaged from a decomposing, roadkilled individual in the Nechisar Plains of southern Ethiopia (September 1990; Safford et al. 1995). The species epithet (solala), derived from Latin, means "only a wing."

All that is known of the Nechisar Nightjar is from a single wing collected from a rotting corpse on the side of a dirt road in the Nechisar Plains within the Nechisar National Park in Ethiopia on September 3, 1990. It was around midnight when a group of British and Ethiopian wildlife surveyors pried the wing from the soil of a vehicle track as part of a night survey of Nechisar National Park. The area was a treeless plain composed of natural/edaphic short grassland, undulating plains that cover 270 km² and black lava soil at 1,200 m on Rift Valley floor. This area is separated from other short-grass habitats by bushland. 

Even after more than 200 hours of nocturnal surveys and field observations by more than 100 individuals, nothing has been found of this species (Birds of the World). The most famous of which was done by Ruben Evans, Natalie Beenaerts, Nele Witters, and Tom Artois in January 2015. Their goal was to observe endemic nightjar species and maybe catch a member of the elusive Nechisar Nightjar species. Even though, they captured 49 individuals and observed five nightjar species, they were not able to find the elusive nightjar (Evans et al., 2017). 

The only possible sightings of this species occurred when observers reported seeing a large, reddish-brown nightjar with white tail corners and prominent white wing panels in the Nechisar Plains over three nights in April 2009 (IUCN Red List). Earlier that year, a group of four birdwatchers (Gerry Nicholls, Ian Sinclair, Vernon Head, and Dennis Weir) decided to go to Nechisar National Park and travel to the exact spot where the wing of the mysterious Nechisar Nightjar was found. According to them, they saw the bird the first night they were there. However, they did not get a close look and the video they took of the sighting was too blurry to be definitive. They tried to net the bird but failed. Even though they returned from their trip with no definitive evidence, they are convinced that this bird was the Nechisar Nightjar because they recognized the distinct pattern on the wing as the bird flew away (NPR).

The taxonomic status of the Nechisar Nightjar has been questioned since nightjars are known to vary in appearance at an individual level. The famous ornithologist, S.H.M Butchart (2007), proclaimed the Nechisar Nightjar to be the, "least-known bird species in the world." Since little is known about the species, no one can say for sure until the bird is found and a more comprehensive analysis of her DNA, range, and behavior can be done (Birds of the World).  

Some experts, such as Forero and Tela (1997), have argued that the wing could be from a known species of African nightjar. By studying Red-Necked Nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis), they argue that sexual dimorphism and intraspecific variability has been seen in nightjars. Sexual dimorphism is exhibited through the size of the patch and spots that appear on the wings. Intraspecific variability can be seen in the sexual characters and body size that can vary depending on the region. Male traits can be seen in females of the same species and ancestral traits could even reappear in old birds; leading to misidentification. Sources of variability cannot be detected in a small sample size such as a wing. Much is unknown about nightjars and their behavior, especially with regards to African species. Those that compared the wing of the supposed Nechisar Nightjar to other species did not take intraspecific variability into account for the species they compared the wing with. This was because this data was simply not available. Furthermore, the methodology they used did not even consider the role of variability. As a result, the statistics that was used to compare the wing with other species was too low to detect sex and age differences that can affect variability in nightjars. They point to a case study where a larger member of a known species of nightjar (in this case Caprimulgus inornatus or the Plain Nightjar) was confused for being different species based solely on her large size. The small sample size led these experts astray and led to a misidentification. In terms of calculating ratios from mean measurements of small sample sizes such as wings, Forero and Tela state that, "most individual birds will present ratios different from those obtained for the means of their own species." They conclude that, without a larger sample size, it is possible that the wing could be from a known nightjar. 

It’s possible that the wing could be from a known species of nightjar or a subspecies. A detailed DNA analysis of the wing could shed some light on this mystery. 

The area where the wing was found is currently being threatened by a rising degree of habitat loss due to grazing and population growth near the borders of the Nechisar National Park. The wing was found in the Nechisar Plains in the Great Rift Valley. This area is near the town of Arba Minch that is experiencing a boom in its population growth and whose inhabitants are clearing land in the park for firewood and construction materials (Spottiswode, 2010). In 1998, a fire was started by settlers who lived illegally in the park. This fire destroyed 12 km² of habitat (IUCN Red List). 

The Nechisar Nightjar may be negatively affected by the violent history surrounding the creation of the Nechisar National Park.  

The park was created 1974 as part of a national project sponsored by the authoritarian, socialist Derg regime that had just taken power in Ethiopia. Thousands of people were forcibly evicted and resettled from the park’s new boundaries. Among those who faced forced resettlement were Guji pastoralists who used the Nechisar Plains to graze their cattle, Koore farmers who had farms within the park, and fishers who used the park’s lakes for their trade. After the fall of the Derg regime in 1991, these groups returned to the park to resume the practices their ancestors had done.  

In 2004, the African Parks Foundation signed an agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Ethiopian government to manage Nechisar National Park for 25 years. The agreement was made with the understanding that the government would resettle all who returned to the park after 1991. Violence and resistance ensued. While some Guji resisted and were allowed to stay, others were forcibly relocated after police and park officials burned 463 homes. The Koore who reestablished their farms in the park were resettled south of the park’s boundaries. Fishers were evicted from the lakes and private fishing was banned. In total, 9,000 were relocated in 2004 as a result of this resettlement policy with many within and outside Ethiopia seeing it as a violation of human rights. Due to the negative publicity of the resettlement policies and the difficulties of managing the park’s problems, the African Parks Foundation withdrew from the park in 2008 with control relegated to the region's Bureau of Culture and Tourism. In 2009, control of the park passed to the Ethiopian federal government under the Ethiopian Wildlife and Conservation Authority.  

This violent history forced many people from their homes and compelled the traditional Guji and Koore peoples to turn to farming and hunting to survive. This only put more pressure on park resources. After the fall of the Derg regime, the Guji returned with their cattle and now thousands of cattle now use the plains in the park freely. The Koore people also returned and reestablished some of their farms in the park’s boundaries. These practices are tolerated to some extent today but the degree to which park authorities monitor the degree of agriculture and grazing is uncertain. Currently, the Guji and Koore peoples claim access rights and ownership to land within the park. Inhabitants of the town of Arba Minch illegally go into the park for firewood and building materials. They, along with the fishers, argue that access to the park’s resources is necessary for their own survival. In 2017, the population of Arba Minch was estimated to be 140,000. This population is even higher today and will increase in the next decade. This population growth will coincide with that of the Guji, Koore, and fishers that, together with their economic practices, will put even more pressure on park resources. As a result, overgrazing, expanding agriculture, overexploitation of park resources, and overfishing (all of which are seen in the park today) will increase exponentially and further degrade the park from within.  

While the inhabitants of Arba Minch and the fishers see the park as a resource pool, the Guji and the Koore see some value in the park. This is because the park often employs them as park scouts and both peoples can access the roads within the park for trade and travel.  

Experts, such as Tsegaye et al. (2017), argue for a conservation approach “with a human face” where local peoples receive defined rights and benefits within a community-based framework of park conservation in conjunction with park and governmental authorities. They contend that the ties of the Guji and the Koore to their land should not only be recognized but that these groups should be involved in the management of conservation areas and wildlife and in decision-making processes. They also argue that agreements need to be made with the inhabitants of Arba Minch and the fishers with regards to sustainable ways of using park resources. The hope is that this new conservation approach will not only reverse the decline of the park but also protect valuable habitat for the Nechisar Nightjar in the process. 

Unfortunately, a program that was created for the park by the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Organization as part of a broader program to rehabilitate the national parks in southern Ethiopia (including a resettlement program) is no longer operational (Data Zone-Birdlife International). As of now, the lack of a broader rehabilitation plan and a more community-based/human approach to conservation puts the future of Nechisar National Park (and consequently that of the Nechisar Nightjar) in doubt. 

The fact that so little is known about this species makes it difficult to protect.

More DNA analysis needs to be done on the wing to confirm that the Nechisar Nightjar is indeed a new species and not a regional or intraspecific variety of a known species. Experts, such as Spottiswode (2010), note that many nightjars exist in Nechisar National Park. These include the Slender-Tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus clarus), the Star-Spotted Nightjar (Caprimulgus stellata), Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar (Caprimulgus donaldsoni), the Montane Nightjar (Caprimulgus poliocephalus), the Standard-Winged Nightjar (Macrodipteryx longipennis), Plain Nightjar (Caprimulgus inornatus), Sombre Nightjar (Caprimulgus fraenatus), and the Freckled Nightjar (Caprimulgus tristigma), just to name a few. If Forero and Tela (1997) are correct in their analysis in that nightjars can display intraspecific and regional variety in terms of plumage, then there is a possibility that the Nechisar Nightjar may not be a distinct species at all but an individual from a known species of nightjar that displays unique characteristics. Until a live Nechisar Nightjar is found or a DNA analysis is done on the wing, we will not know for sure.  

Order: Caprimulgiformes  

Family: Caprimulgidae  

Genus: Caprimulgus  

Species: Caprimulgus solala