18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Spot the Bird

Collared Nightjars are endemic to Madagascar. However, spotting them can be extremely tricky. They camouflage so well into the surrounding that one may pass them and not notice. Spending close to a week in the central mountains, I was lucky to spot a pair. I had read several reports on how Nightjars would choose a sympathetic background for camouflaging into the surrounding. The particular stripes and patterns make them invisible only in particular surroundings and somehow the birds seem to have self-realisation of these surroundings. In this case, the Collared Nightjars of Madagascar would often exhibit a camouflage that involves a duo.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 11.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Ambatovy, Madagascar
Camera: NIKON D5300
Copyright: © Swayamsiddha Mohapatra