Caprimulgus manillensis Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875),
9, pt. 2, 159; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 246 (eggs);
Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 86; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs
(1903), 3, 68, pl. 11, fig. 9; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 57.
Caprimulgus manillensis Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892),
16, 544.
Tuc-ca-ró, Masbate and Ticao.
Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Everett); Bohol (McGregor); Cebu
(McGregor); Luzon (Cuming, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor);
Masbate (McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Goodfellow); Mindoro
(McGregor, Porter); Negros (Keay); Palawan (Platen); Romblon
(McGregor); Ticao (McGregor).
Male.--General coloration and pattern very much as in C. macrurus;
post-auricular area and band on hind neck light buff; white area on
throat divided, forming two patches; fore breast darker with no rufous;
barring on abdomen and under tail-coverts broken, resulting from the
larger light tips. The following characters are diagnostic; white spot
on first primary washed with buff, small and reaching but half way to
shaft; spot on second quill a little larger, not reaching shaft and
a narrow line indicates spot on outer web; spots on third and fourth
quills reaching shaft on both webs and on the fourth the included
section of shaft nearly all white; outer pair of rectrices with white
area about 32 mm. in length and on inner web only; second pair with
white area across both webs. A male from Romblon measures: Length,
255; wing, 170; tail, 125; tarsus, 15; middle toe with claw, 24.
Female.--Spots on first and second primaries dark fulvous; spot on
third primary not reaching shaft; otherwise like the male. A female
from Romblon measures: Length, 255; wing, 167; tail, 115; tarsus,
15; middle toe with claw, 24.
Young.--Upper parts very much as in the adult, but the blackish brown
spots on head and scapulars greatly reduced in size; as a whole the
upper parts are dark silvery gray; white throat patches wanting, being
indicated by two small buff areas; feathers of breast vermiculated
with light brown and light buff with lighter buff tips; abdomen and
flanks light fulvous, distinctly barred with brown; the partially
developed wings and tail with markings as in the adult.
Eggs.--A set of two eggs collected May 22, 1895, by Whitehead near
Cape Engaño, Cagayan Province, Luzon, are described as follows:
"Shape elliptical oval; ground-color pale cream; under-markings
pale lavender-gray; irregularly blotched over-markings pale brown,
but darker than in C. griseatus. In one egg the over-markings are
almost wanting, being reduced to one or two blotches. Measurements
29 mm. by 22." (Grant and Whitehead.)
The Manila nightjar is the most common species of its genus in the
Islands and has a considerable vertical range, being found in the
pine woods of Benguet Province as well as in the lowlands and near the
sea. Its food consists largely of moths and beetles which it takes on
the wing. During the day it rests in dark thickets and comes out to
feed only after sunset. Its presence in a locality may be detected
by hearing its peculiar note which has given it the Tagalog name
"tucaroc."