Donaldson Smith's Nightjar vs Papuan Nightjar
Caprimulgus donaldsoni compared with Eurostopodus papuensis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Donaldson Smith's Nightjar | Papuan Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Caprimulgus donaldsoni | Eurostopodus papuensis |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 26.0 cm (10.2 in) | 37.9 cm (14.9 in) |
| Weight | 29.75 g (1.05 oz) | 80.5 g (2.84 oz) |
| Diet | Nocturnal insect hawker feeding on moths, beetles, and flying crickets; hunts in buoyant coursing flight. | Hawks large flying insects, especially moths, at night over Papuan forest and savanna. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Donaldson Smith's Nightjar
Soft, rapid churring; thin 'trrrr' at moderate pitch; small size produces lighter call; calls from dry African scrub at night; poorly known vocalizations
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
Donaldson Smith's Nightjar
Found across sub-Saharan Africa from Gabon south to South Africa. Common in woodland, forest edge, and gardens. Produces distinctive churring calls.
Papuan Nightjar
Resident of savanna woodland, grass, and scrub in lowland New Guinea (Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).
Conservation Status
Donaldson Smith's Nightjar
Papuan Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Donaldson Smith's Nightjar
Small and compact; pale greyish-brown upperparts finely vermiculated blackish; narrow whitish supercilium; small white throat spot; underparts pale buff with faint barring; notably small size compared to African relatives.
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
Donaldson Smith's Nightjar
A small nightjar (20-22 cm) of dry bush and semi-arid scrublands in the Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Pale grey-brown plumage. Nocturnal insectivore. Named after the American explorer Donaldson Smith. Poorly known in the wild.
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.