Slender-tailed Nightjar vs Archbold's Nightjar
Caprimulgus clarus compared with Eurostopodus archboldi
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Slender-tailed Nightjar | Archbold's Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Caprimulgus clarus | Eurostopodus archboldi |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 29.6 cm (11.7 in) | 41.0 cm (16.1 in) |
| Weight | 43.0 g (1.52 oz) | 77.0 g (2.72 oz) |
| Diet | Nocturnal aerial insectivore specialising in large moths and flying beetles, caught in slow erratic hunting … | Aerial insectivore; catches moths and beetles in nocturnal flight over New Guinea montane forest. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Slender-tailed Nightjar
Rapid churring trill; 'trrr-trrr' at steady pace; calls from East African dry scrub at night; lighter than Long-tailed Nightjar; alarm a quiet 'chek'
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
Slender-tailed Nightjar
Found from Angola and the DRC south through Zambia and Zimbabwe to South Africa. Resident in woodland and savanna near rocky outcrops.
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
Slender-tailed Nightjar
Archbold's Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Slender-tailed Nightjar
Pale brown upperparts with black streaks and buff-white spotting; whitish supercilium; white throat patch; underparts buff barred brown; males have elongated but narrower tail feathers than Long-tailed Nightjar.
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
Slender-tailed Nightjar
A slender nightjar (24-27 cm including elongated tail) of open grassland and woodland edges in eastern and southern Africa. Similar to Long-tailed Nightjar but with paler plumage and finer markings. Nocturnal insectivore. Resident or short-distance migrant.
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.