Long-tailed Nightjar vs Archbold's Nightjar
Caprimulgus climacurus compared with Eurostopodus archboldi
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Long-tailed Nightjar | Archbold's Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Caprimulgus climacurus | Eurostopodus archboldi |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 28.6 cm (11.3 in) | 41.0 cm (16.1 in) |
| Weight | 48.333333333333336 g (1.70 oz) | 77.0 g (2.72 oz) |
| Diet | Crepuscular to nocturnal; feeds predominantly on moths and flying beetles, hawked in open flight near … | Aerial insectivore; catches moths and beetles in nocturnal flight over New Guinea montane forest. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Long-tailed Nightjar only
Archbold's Nightjar only
None
Song & Call Comparison
Long-tailed Nightjar
Churring trill with hollow 'cuck' notes; 'cuck-churr-cuck' pattern; calls from West African woodland at night; alarm a sharp bark; persistent caller in dry season
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
Long-tailed Nightjar
Found in East Africa from Ethiopia south to Kenya and Tanzania. Resident in open bushland. Male has elongated outer tail feathers with bare shafts.
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
Long-tailed Nightjar
Archbold's Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Long-tailed Nightjar
Brown and black cryptic upperparts; white throat patch; males sport extremely elongated central tail feathers twice body length with bare white rachis; females much shorter-tailed; West African savanna specialist.
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
Long-tailed Nightjar
A slender nightjar (21-28 cm including elongated tail streamers) found in open woodlands and savanna across sub-Saharan Africa. Males have extraordinarily long central tail feathers during breeding season. Nocturnal insectivore; an intra-African migrant following seasonal rainfall.
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.