New Caledonian Owlet-Nightjar
Top 6 in Top 8 Rarest Birds In The World
A huge owlet-nightjar with vermiculated grey-brown and black plumage, the New Caledonian owlet-nightjar is also referred to as the enigmatic owlet-nightjar. It has strong, robust legs, a short, rounded wing, and a long, slightly rounded tail. Although the tone of its voice is unknown, other owlet-nightjar species churn and whistle. More substantial than the Australian owlet-nightjar, it is the second-largest owlet-nightjar species currently known.
The Melaleuca savanna and humid woodlands of New Caledonia are home to the New Caledonian owlet-nightjar. Other owlet-nightjars are solitary, nest in tree holes, and hunt from perches, swooping down to catch prey on the ground or perched on trunks and branches. Although it is unknown if these behaviors apply to the New Caledonian owlet-nightjar, this species may be more terrestrial given that it is larger and has longer legs than the others.
The bird crashed into a bedroom in the village of Tonghoué, and the type specimen was subsequently obtained. Two specimens collected in 1880 and 1915, along with a scant few observations, are all that is known about this enormous owlet-nightjar. The most recent record comes from an expedition in 1998 that witnessed a sizable bird like a nightjar feeding for insects in Rivière Ni Valley at dark. According to this assessment, the species may still exist in small numbers, but the population as a whole is probably less than 50 and diminishing. New Caledonian Owlet-Nightjar is one of the rarest birds in the world.
