Ng Kiah Hwa a.k.a. hawkeyes photographed the Savanna Nightjar (Caprimulgus affinis) nesting in Malaysia in March 2009.
There were two eggs in the simple scrape of a nest, one of which had hatched (left). The parents were nowhere to be seen. It soon rained and that brought an adult back to the nest to shelter the chick and the remaining egg (below).
Savanna Nightjar nests in treeless areas, such as grassland, grassy plain and open woodland. The nest is a simple scrape on the ground, often among stones. One to two eggs are laid, spotted and blotched and highly camouflaged. Both parents incubate the eggs. When threatened, the incubating/brooding adult pretends to be injured as a distraction tactic. Chicks are nidicolous, meaning that they remain in the nest for some time after hatching. Nothing else is known.
This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.
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