On the morning of Saturday, 22nd February 2025, while walking through an overgrown trail leading to the former quarry ponds alongside the National Quarries site (Valencia), we unexpectedly spotted a bird nesting on the ground among dead leaves. Its subtle presence blended perfectly with the surroundings. It did not take us long to identify the cryptic ground-nesting specialist as the Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis). The nest held two pinkish cream eggs mottled with reddish brown. Normally, both parents share incubation duties, with the female taking the night shift, and together they brood and feed the young. This made us wonder if the other parent was close by.
Breeding is recorded from February to July; probably mainly in the dry season. This allows the birds to build cryptic nests on the dry ground using dead leaves in wooded areas. It also ensures that food sources (particularly flying insects) are likely to be available during this period, and that nests are not destroyed by heavy rainfall, which can cause flooding.
