A Nightjar, from Nestling to Fledging

Definitions
Nestling - a bird that is too young to leave its nest
Fledging - a young bird having wing feathers that are large enough for flight, just able to fly

Four weeks ago, we encountered a group of photographers gathered around a leaf-covered ground between trees at the botanic garden. Curious, we looked in the direction of their cameras but saw nothing.

We were informed that a mother nightjar was nursing her chick there! Despite our previous sightings of nightjars, we couldn't spot it. The bird was perfectly camouflaged against the ground. With the help of a photographer's camera, we finally saw a nightjar sitting amidst the leaves. Once our eyes adjusted, we could see it with our own eyes as well.

A few days later, we passed by the same spot and found some photographers still there. This time, we saw the baby chick. It had grown slightly but still sported predominantly grey and light-colored feathers. The chick was emerging from under its mother's wings, walking on the leaves. The mother then moved to a different spot, about ten feet away. Within seconds, the chick, with raised wings, clumsily ran to its mother.

This led us to wonder how long it would take for nightjar chicks to fledge.

Upon checking the literature, we learned that nightjars nest on the ground and often roost or rest on roads. A female nightjar does not build a nest but lays her eggs directly on the ground. Nightjar chicks typically fledge in 3-4 weeks.

Last week, we spotted the nightjars in a different location near the original site. The baby bird was still small but had developed feathers matching its mother's coloration. Two days later, they were nowhere to be found—the baby nightjar had fledged, and they had moved on with their lives.

Nightjar - mom and its chick (side view)- click the photo to enlarge to see

Nightjar - mom and its chick (front view)- click the photo to enlarge to see

Most birds build nests in trees, lay eggs, and incubate them. The baby birds stay in the nest until they are ready to fledge. We've observed various birds' nesting habits, such as olive-backed sunbirds' nests with baby birds inside,  eagles nests with juvenile eagles and their parents, and fantails feeding their chicks in their nests. Some birds, like oriental pied hornbills, use tree cavities as their nests.

Our most complete observation of a bird's reproductive cycle, from laying eggs to young birds fledging, occurred four years ago at our house in Texas. We witnessed house finches through their entire cycle—incubation, hatching, nestling, and eventually, the empty nest—through daily observations at our front door.

It is endearing to observe baby birds growing, being fed, and eventually flying away.