Pauraque - "like dry leaves"

Look at the picture below carefully. Do you see a bird hiding in plain sight there?




I'll give you a hint. Here's what you are looking for:




If you still haven't found it, here is where it was:



This bird is a Common Pauraque. It is a type of a nighthawk that breeds and winters in tropical areas from southern Texas to Argentina. The only thing that my bird guide says about it is "Cryptic, like dry leaves." Seems a fitting description! Here's a better close-up:





I honestly didn't know it existed until someone pointed it out to us during our walk in a Rio Grande Valley park. Even then, at first I thought they were referring to some parakeet. Like all nighthawks, it hunts insects at night, and sleeps on bare ground during the day. (Which is also where it incubates its young - it does not believe in nests apparently.) You can get pretty close to it before it flushes - it believes in its camouflage so much that it really does not feel threatened. Which is how I was able to take these shots.