Tawny-collared Nightjar vs Heinrich's Nightjar

Antrostomus salvini compared with Eurostopodus diabolicus

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Tawny-collared Nightjar Heinrich's Nightjar
Scientific Name Antrostomus salvini Eurostopodus diabolicus
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Caprimulgidae Caprimulgidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 33.8 cm (13.3 in) 39.9 cm (15.7 in)
Weight 56.0 g (1.98 oz) 104.0 g (3.67 oz)
Diet Aerial insectivore; hawks moths and beetles at night over Central American forest and forest edge. Nocturnal aerial insectivore; catches moths and beetles in flight over Sulawesi forest; poorly known.
Clutch Size 2 1
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Tawny-collared Nightjar only

None

Heinrich's Nightjar only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Tawny-collared Nightjar

Song

Loud 'WHEEP' or 'weet' repeated at intervals; sharp, whistled call; carries through Mexican highland forest; higher-pitched than Chuck-will's-widow; distinctive sharp quality

Heinrich's Nightjar

Song

Haunting, hollow 'ku-WOO' repeated rhythmically; deep resonant quality; distinctive mournful whistle carrying through Sulawesi forest at night

Geographic Range & Migration

Tawny-collared Nightjar

Resident of tropical dry forest and scrub in eastern Mexico (Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco) and northern Central America.

Heinrich's Nightjar

Endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia; resident of montane forest; extremely rare and poorly known, with very few records.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Tawny-collared Nightjar

Least Concern

Heinrich's Nightjar

How to Tell Them Apart

Tawny-collared Nightjar

Plumage

Brown and buff mottled above; distinctive tawny-buff collar encircling hindneck diagnostic; white gorget in male; pale buff underparts with dark barring; white outer tail spots in male; Mexican dry forests.

Heinrich's Nightjar

Plumage

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

Tawny-collared Nightjar

A medium-small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~56 g) of humid foothill and montane forest edges in northeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. Named for its tawny hindneck collar. Brown-mottled plumage; males have white tail corners. Roosts on the ground; feeds nocturnally on insects. 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.

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