Yucatan Nightjar vs Papuan Nightjar
Antrostomus badius compared with Eurostopodus papuensis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Yucatan Nightjar | Papuan Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Antrostomus badius | Eurostopodus papuensis |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 32.6 cm (12.8 in) | 37.9 cm (14.9 in) |
| Weight | 58.03333333333333 g (2.05 oz) | 80.5 g (2.84 oz) |
| Diet | Nocturnal aerial insectivore; catches moths and flying insects over Yucatan dry forest and scrub. | Hawks large flying insects, especially moths, at night over Papuan forest and savanna. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Yucatan Nightjar
Whistled 'WEEP-weep' phrase; clear, melodic call from Yucatan dry forest; repeated steadily at night; lower than Tawny-collared; alarm a sharp bark note
Papuan Nightjar
Churring, repetitive nocturnal call; soft bubbling trill; melodic series of hollow notes; calls from low perch or ground in New Guinea lowland forest
Geographic Range & Migration
Yucatan Nightjar
Resident of lowland tropical forest and scrub in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Belize, and northern Guatemala.
Papuan Nightjar
Resident of savanna woodland, grass, and scrub in lowland New Guinea (Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).
Conservation Status
Yucatan Nightjar
Papuan Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Yucatan Nightjar
Brown and grey mottled above with buff vermiculations; lacks tawny collar of Tawny-collared Nightjar; white gorget in male; pale buff below; white outer tail spots in male; buff tail in …
Papuan Nightjar
Dark grey-brown finely vermiculated with buff and black; pale buff and rufous throat patch; pale supercilium; no white wing patches; tail barred brown and buff; cryptically patterned bark-mimicking plumage.
About These Birds
Yucatan Nightjar
A medium-small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~58 g) restricted to the Yucatan Peninsula, northern Guatemala, and northern Belize. Inhabits dry deciduous and semi-evergreen forest. Brown-and-buff cryptic plumage. Calls with a repetitive whip-like phrase at night. Feeds on moths and beetles. Least Concern; limited but stable range.
Papuan Nightjar
A small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~81 g) of lowland savanna, grassland, and forest edges across the southern lowlands of New Guinea. Cryptic buff-and-brown plumage; white-spotted wings visible in flight. Nocturnal aerial insectivore. Commonly heard at night but rarely seen by day. Least Concern.