Mexican Whip-poor-will vs Heinrich's Nightjar
Antrostomus arizonae compared with Eurostopodus diabolicus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Mexican Whip-poor-will | Heinrich's Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Antrostomus arizonae | Eurostopodus diabolicus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 31.9 cm (12.6 in) | 39.9 cm (15.7 in) |
| Weight | 47.45 g (1.67 oz) | 104.0 g (3.67 oz) |
| Diet | Hawks moths, beetles, and flying insects at night over pine-oak forest of Mexico and SW … | Nocturnal aerial insectivore; catches moths and beetles in flight over Sulawesi forest; poorly known. |
| Clutch Size | 1-2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Mexican Whip-poor-will
Clear 'whip-poor-WILL'; similar to Eastern but slightly higher in pitch; calls from pine-oak highlands of Mexico; burry whistled quality; repeated persistently at night
Heinrich's Nightjar
Haunting, hollow 'ku-WOO' repeated rhythmically; deep resonant quality; distinctive mournful whistle carrying through Sulawesi forest at night
Geographic Range & Migration
Mexican Whip-poor-will
Breeds in pine-oak highland forest in the mountains of Mexico and Central America; partially migratory at higher elevations.
Heinrich's Nightjar
Endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia; resident of montane forest; extremely rare and poorly known, with very few records.
Conservation Status
Mexican Whip-poor-will
Heinrich's Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Mexican Whip-poor-will
Grey-brown and buff mottled above with dark vermiculations; white gorget in male; pale buff barred underparts; white outer tail tips in male; recently split from Eastern Whip-poor-will; slightly browner tones …
Heinrich's Nightjar
Rufous-brown and dark brown mottled with buff vermiculations; large pale buff throat patch; pale buff supercilium; no white wing markings; tail darkly barred brown and buff. Poorly known; Sulawesi endemic.
About These Birds
Mexican Whip-poor-will
A medium-small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~47 g) of pine-oak forests in the mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and western Mexico. Recently split from the Eastern Whip-poor-will on morphological and vocal grounds. Calls with the same 'whip-poor-will' phrase. Feeds on moths and beetles nocturnally. Least Concern.
Heinrich's Nightjar
A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~104 g) endemic to the forest and forest-edge habitats of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Cryptically patterned brown-and-buff. Nocturnal insectivore; catches moths and beetles in aerial sallies. Little studied and rarely encountered in the field. Least Concern within its Sulawesi range.