Dusky Nightjar vs Archbold's Nightjar
Antrostomus saturatus compared with Eurostopodus archboldi
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Dusky Nightjar | Archbold's Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Antrostomus saturatus | Eurostopodus archboldi |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 28.9 cm (11.4 in) | 41.0 cm (16.1 in) |
| Weight | 51.95 g (1.83 oz) | 77.0 g (2.72 oz) |
| Diet | Nocturnal aerial insectivore; hawks moths and beetles over Costa Rican and Panamanian forest. | Aerial insectivore; catches moths and beetles in nocturnal flight over New Guinea montane forest. |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Dusky Nightjar
Soft, repeated 'wherrr-wherrr'; gentle churring whistle from Costa Rican highlands; calls from cloud forest at night; moderate pace with slight upward inflection
Archbold's Nightjar
Rarely recorded; presumed churring nocturnal song; low, resonant trilling typical of genus; vocalizations scarcely documented from highland New Guinea
Geographic Range & Migration
Dusky Nightjar
Resident of highland forest and forest edge in Costa Rica and western Panama, at 1,000–2,500 m; closely tied to Chirripó massif.
Archbold's Nightjar
Resident of montane forest in central New Guinea (Snow Mountains and Star Mountains) above 1,500 m; very poorly known.
Conservation Status
Dusky Nightjar
Archbold's Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Dusky Nightjar
Darker and more saturated than related nightjars; dark brown-grey with buff mottling and dark vermiculations; white gorget in male; pale buff barred underparts; small white outer tail spots; Costa Rican …
Archbold's Nightjar
Brown and dark grey with rufous-buff vermiculations; whitish throat patch; pale buff supercilium contrasts with darker crown; no white wing or tail patches; tail barred; New Guinea highlands; few records.
About These Birds
Dusky Nightjar
A medium-small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~52 g) of montane forest and forest edges in Costa Rica and western Panama above 900 m. Dark sooty-brown plumage with faint paler barring. Calls with a repeated churring phrase at night. Feeds on flying insects in montane cloud forest. Least Concern; range restricted but stable.
Archbold's Nightjar
A small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~77 g) known from subalpine grasslands and forest margins in the interior mountains of New Guinea. Named after naturalist Richard Archbold. Cryptic brown-patterned plumage. Nocturnal insectivore. Infrequently observed; biology largely undescribed. Least Concern in its montane range.