Eastern Whip-poor-will vs Papuan Nightjar
Antrostomus vociferus compared with Eurostopodus papuensis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Eastern Whip-poor-will | Papuan Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Antrostomus vociferus | Eurostopodus papuensis |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Near Threatened | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 30.9 cm (12.2 in) | 37.9 cm (14.9 in) |
| Weight | 53.099999999999994 g (1.87 oz) | 80.5 g (2.84 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore; catches large moths and flying insects at night over North American forest and … | Hawks large flying insects, especially moths, at night over Papuan forest and savanna. |
| Clutch Size | 1-2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Loud, clear 'whip-POOR-WILL' repeated hundreds of times; emphatic burry whistle; iconic nocturnal forest sound of eastern North America; male calls incessantly at dusk
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
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Breeds in open woodland and forest edge in eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast; winters in Central America and Mexico.
Papuan Nightjar
Resident of savanna woodland, grass, and scrub in lowland New Guinea (Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).
Conservation Status
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Papuan Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Grey-brown and buff mottled above with dark vermiculations; white gorget in male; pale buff barred underparts; white tips on outer tail feathers in male; female with buff gorget and buff …
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
Eastern Whip-poor-will
A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~53 g) of dry open forest in eastern North America, famous for its insistent 'whip-poor-will' call repeated hundreds of times. Mottled grey-brown plumage. Winters in Central America. Feeds on moths and beetles in aerial pursuit. Near Threatened from insect declines and forest fragmentation.
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.