Common Pauraque

I have a thing for nightjars. There is just something I find particularly fascinating about these cryptic, nocturnal birds. Many have unmistakable calls: the onomatopoetic song of an eastern whippoorwill can instantly transport us to the warmth of a spring evening. If the night sounds of the American midwest are music, the whip-poor-will is the melody. Thus, of all the south Texas birds in the offing, I was perhaps most excited to find this close cousin of the whip-poor-will, a common pauraque (pronounced puh-RAH-key, at least in English). Actually seeing one, however, is no small feat. Despite the friendly park ranger’s very specific guidance, narrowing our search to just a few square feet at the base of one particular tree, I stared at the same patch of ground for minutes before spotting the bird, which finally emerged like the hidden image in one of those Magic Eye posters from the 90s. One must learn how to look.