Photograph: Sang Xinhua
Morphological characteristics
Medium to small climbing birds, body length 26 to 28 cm. The mouth is black , the eyes are dark brown , the beak is short but the mouth is very large, the mouth is whiskered , the eyes are larger , the wings are pointed , and the feet are very short. The overall body color resembles bark, and is mottled gray-brown. The upperparts are greyish brown with dark brown and grayish-white insect beetle spots. The center of the head has a black stripe. The throat is black with a white spot underneath. The underparts are light greyish brown with black transverse spots. The wing corners have white spots. The tail feathers have dark transverse spots, the outer tail feathers have broad light spots near the end, the male is white, and the female is yellow. The feet are dark brown.
Habits of life
It inhabits woodlands and bushlands in mountainous and plain areas. Nocturnal birds, very hidden during the day, often lie on thick, flat branches or rest on the grass in the forest, so there is a common name "bark"; dusk and nocturnal activities, in flight to hunt moths, mosquitoes, scarab beetles, cattle and so on. During the breeding season, it is often called non-stop at dusk and at night, and the call is a continuous and high-frequency "driving..." sound.
The breeding season is from May to August, and the eggs are laid directly on the woodland floor; the eggs are grayish white, covered with brown spots, and the male and female birds take turns to hatch.
Conservation status
IUCN: LC; terrestrial wild animals with important ecological, scientific and social value protected by the state; wildlife under key protection in Shandong Province.
Contributed by: Forest Defense Station
Editor: Liu Bei