Courtship displays of the Pennant-winged Nightjar, Semeiophorus vexillarius

Abstract

Use of a night-vision telescope, with a Pocket Memo for recording a running commentary, allowed the courtship displays of a male Pennant-winged Nightjar, Semeiophorus vexillarius, near the Muneni River (18°59'S, 32°41'E, 1 000m), Zimbabwe, to be observed and noted in great detail during five hours at dusk and dawn in October 1971. This male, in breeding dress, regularly displayed in a clearing in the Brachystegia/Julbernardia woodland, with sparsely spaced trees and very short burnt grass. His favourite perch was a small (10 x 8 x 5cm high) but conspicuous white stone, which served as the focal point for my observations.