Jungle Nightjar vs Heinrich's Nightjar
Caprimulgus indicus compared with Eurostopodus diabolicus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Jungle Nightjar | Heinrich's Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Caprimulgus indicus | Eurostopodus diabolicus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 36.4 cm (14.3 in) | 39.9 cm (15.7 in) |
| Weight | 84.0 g (2.96 oz) | 104.0 g (3.67 oz) |
| Diet | Nocturnal aerial insectivore; catches moths, beetles, and flying insects over South and SE Asian forest. | 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
Jungle Nightjar
Loud churring 'chuck-chuck-chuck-rrr'; repetitive with accelerating quality; calls from South Asian forest at dusk; hollow resonant tone; alarm a sharp 'chuck'
Heinrich's Nightjar
Haunting, hollow 'ku-WOO' repeated rhythmically; deep resonant quality; distinctive mournful whistle carrying through Sulawesi forest at night
Geographic Range & Migration
Jungle Nightjar
Breeds in eastern Asia (India, China, Korea, Japan) south to Southeast Asia; northern populations winter in tropical Southeast Asia.
Heinrich's Nightjar
Endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia; resident of montane forest; extremely rare and poorly known, with very few records.
Conservation Status
Jungle Nightjar
Heinrich's Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Jungle Nightjar
Brown and grey mottled with dark vermiculations; white throat patch; white wing spots across primaries; white outer tail spots in male; buff throat and tail spots in female; pale supercilium …
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
Jungle Nightjar
A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~84 g) of forest and forest edges from the Indian subcontinent through Southeast Asia to Japan. Cryptically patterned grey-brown and buff. Calls with a 'chuck' note at dusk. Partially migratory; northern populations move south in winter. Feeds on large moths and beetles. Least Concern.
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.