Feline Owlet-nightjar vs New Caledonian Owlet-nightjar

Aegotheles insignis compared with Aegotheles savesi

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Feline Owlet-nightjar New Caledonian Owlet-nightjar
Scientific Name Aegotheles insignis Aegotheles savesi
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Aegothelidae Aegothelidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Critically Endangered
Length
Wingspan 33.0 cm (13.0 in) 32.6 cm (12.8 in)
Weight 76.53333333333333 g (2.70 oz) 55.5 g (1.96 oz)
Diet Nocturnal insectivore catching beetles and moths in short sallying flights; also gleans invertebrates from tree … Night hunter of beetles, large moths, and termites; combines aerial sallying with gleaning on tree …
Clutch Size -- --
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Feline Owlet-nightjar only

None

New Caledonian Owlet-nightjar only

None

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Song & Call Comparison

Feline Owlet-nightjar

Song

Cat-like mewing 'meeow' calls; high, eerie shrieks; cat-like quality unique among nightjars; calls from New Guinea highland forest at night; alarm a hissing screech

New Caledonian Owlet-nightjar

Song

Extremely poorly known; presumed churring trill; critically endangered with fewer than 50 individuals; no confirmed recordings from New Caledonian forest

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Geographic Range & Migration

Feline Owlet-nightjar

Found in New Guinea from sea level to 2,400 m. Resident in lowland rainforest, hill forest, and lower montane moss forest.

New Caledonian Owlet-nightjar

Possibly extinct; known from one specimen from New Caledonia collected in 1880. Critically Endangered; may survive in dense humid forest.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Feline Owlet-nightjar

Critically Endangered

New Caledonian Owlet-nightjar

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How to Tell Them Apart

Feline Owlet-nightjar

Plumage

Large; rufous-brown upperparts with dark brown barring; underparts pale buff with dark brown barring throughout; facial disc bordered dark; two colour morphs—rufous and grey-brown; largest owlet-nightjar with somewhat cat-like facial …

New Caledonian Owlet-nightjar

Plumage

Dark brown upperparts with buff barring; underparts pale buff barred dark brown; facial disc with dark surround; large for genus; critically endangered New Caledonian endemic known from very few records …

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About These Birds

Feline Owlet-nightjar

A large owlet-nightjar (28-30 cm), the biggest in its family. Found in montane forests of New Guinea at 1,500-3,800 m elevation. Dark barred plumage with a cat-like facial disc. Nocturnal insectivore. Its vernacular name refers to its feline facial appearance.

New Caledonian Owlet-nightjar

An extremely rare and possibly extinct owlet-nightjar (28 cm) endemic to New Caledonia. Known from a single specimen collected in 1880 and one probable sighting in 1998. Classified as Critically Endangered. Believed to inhabit humid montane forest. Ecology virtually unknown.

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