• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: #http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of _the_WP15.xls#.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Population justification: There are two recognised subspecies, C. r. ruficollis breeding in northern Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula and C. r. desertorum in northeast Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The European breeding population is estimated at 101,000-135,000 calling males, which equates to 202,000-270,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2021). Europe holds c. 35% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is 575,000-770,000 mature individuals, although occupancy of the North African range could be considerably lower and it is plausible that most of the global breeding population is concentrated within the Iberian Peninsula. Spain alone holds >95% of the European population (C. Camacho and P. Sáez-Gómez in litt. 2020). This population is estimated to be declining at a rate of 2.3% annually (SEO/BirdLife in litt. 2022), hence the species is inferred to be undergoing a continuing decline suspected to be proceeding at a moderately rapid rate.

Trend justification: The population in Spain is estimated to have declined by 28% (13-39%) over the past three generations, based on the mean slope of trend (-2.3%) estimated from monitoring across the country (347 plots with at least two visits) between 2006-2021 (SEO/BirdLife in litt. 2022). Suspected drivers of the decline are habitat destruction through urbanisation and agriculture, disturbance, road collisions and potentially predation and pollution (del Hoyo et al. 1999, Cleere et al. 2020, Keller et al. 2020, Camacho and Sáez-Gómez 2021). With a large part of the range of the species lacking data on trends or population size (and hence relative proportion of the population), it is tentatively suspected that this rate applies to the entire population, although it is noted that some identified threats such as urbanisation may be less severe outside of the Iberian range. However, climate change is altering fire frequency and intensity throughout the range and habitat conversion or degradation impacts may affect this species in many areas. The precise driver of the decline is not certain, and there is no evidence to suggest that the declines will cease imminently. Consequently the current rate for the past five years of monitoring data is projected for Spain over the period from 2016-2030 and for the future three generations from 2023-2037, and is suspected to be the rate of reduction over these periods for the whole population.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Species factsheet: Caprimulgus ruficollis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/03/2023. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2023) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/03/2023.