Dusky Nightjar vs Papuan Nightjar
Antrostomus saturatus compared with Eurostopodus papuensis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Dusky Nightjar | Papuan Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Antrostomus saturatus | Eurostopodus papuensis |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 28.9 cm (11.4 in) | 37.9 cm (14.9 in) |
| Weight | 51.95 g (1.83 oz) | 80.5 g (2.84 oz) |
| Diet | Nocturnal aerial insectivore; hawks moths and beetles over Costa Rican and Panamanian forest. | Hawks large flying insects, especially moths, at night over Papuan forest and savanna. |
| 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
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
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.
Papuan Nightjar
Resident of savanna woodland, grass, and scrub in lowland New Guinea (Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).
Conservation Status
Dusky Nightjar
Papuan 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 …
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
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.
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.