Sombre Nightjar vs Heinrich's Nightjar
Caprimulgus fraenatus compared with Eurostopodus diabolicus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sombre Nightjar | Heinrich's Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Caprimulgus fraenatus | Eurostopodus diabolicus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 32.4 cm (12.8 in) | 39.9 cm (15.7 in) |
| Weight | 60.0 g (2.12 oz) | 104.0 g (3.67 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds at night on flying insects including moths and beetles; hunts with buoyant erratic flight … | Nocturnal aerial insectivore; catches moths and beetles in flight over Sulawesi forest; poorly known. |
| Clutch Size | 1-2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Sombre Nightjar
Monotonous churring trill; repetitive 'churr' at moderate tempo from East African scrub; lower-pitched and less musical than some relatives; calls persistently at night
Heinrich's Nightjar
Haunting, hollow 'ku-WOO' repeated rhythmically; deep resonant quality; distinctive mournful whistle carrying through Sulawesi forest at night
Geographic Range & Migration
Sombre Nightjar
Found across East Africa from Ethiopia and Somalia south to Tanzania. Resident in dry acacia scrub, thornbush, and arid savanna at low elevations.
Heinrich's Nightjar
Endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia; resident of montane forest; extremely rare and poorly known, with very few records.
Conservation Status
Sombre Nightjar
Heinrich's Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Sombre Nightjar
Uniformly dark sooty-brown upperparts with dense blackish vermiculations; pale buff supercilium and narrow white submoustachial stripe; underparts barred buff and dark brown. Sexes similar.
Heinrich's Nightjar
Rufous-brown and dark brown mottled with buff vermiculations; large pale buff throat patch; pale buff supercilium; no white wing markings; tail darkly barred brown and buff. Poorly known; Sulawesi endemic.
About These Birds
Sombre Nightjar
A medium-sized nightjar (23-25 cm) with cryptic grey-brown plumage and a pale collar. Nocturnal and insectivorous, hawking moths and beetles in flight. Found in open woodland and savanna across sub-Saharan Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. Resident or short-distance migrant.
Heinrich's Nightjar
A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~104 g) endemic to the forest and forest-edge habitats of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Cryptically patterned brown-and-buff. Nocturnal insectivore; catches moths and beetles in aerial sallies. Little studied and rarely encountered in the field. Least Concern within its Sulawesi range.