Plain Nightjar vs Heinrich's Nightjar
Caprimulgus inornatus compared with Eurostopodus diabolicus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Plain Nightjar | Heinrich's Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Caprimulgus inornatus | Eurostopodus diabolicus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 30.6 cm (12.0 in) | 39.9 cm (15.7 in) |
| Weight | 45.75 g (1.61 oz) | 104.0 g (3.67 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds nocturnally on moths and large beetles in erratic low-level hunting flights over tropical scrub. | Nocturnal aerial insectivore; catches moths and beetles in flight over Sulawesi forest; poorly known. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Plain Nightjar
Monotonous churring trill; steady 'churrrrr' from African savanna; calls persistently at night; plain plumage matched by relatively unvaried, repetitive song
Heinrich's Nightjar
Haunting, hollow 'ku-WOO' repeated rhythmically; deep resonant quality; distinctive mournful whistle carrying through Sulawesi forest at night
Geographic Range & Migration
Plain Nightjar
Found from Ethiopia and Somalia south to Kenya and Tanzania. Resident in arid acacia scrub and dry open country. Closely related to Nubian Nightjar.
Heinrich's Nightjar
Endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia; resident of montane forest; extremely rare and poorly known, with very few records.
Conservation Status
Plain Nightjar
Heinrich's Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Plain Nightjar
Uniformly plain sandy-grey upperparts with minimal patterning; faint pale supercilium; small whitish throat spot; underparts pale buff with fine barring; among the least boldly marked nightjars, blending into Sahel scrubland.
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
Plain Nightjar
A small nightjar (21-23 cm) of arid and semi-arid zones across the Sahel belt of Africa, from Senegal to Somalia. Pale sandy plumage with minimal markings. Nocturnal insectivore, feeding on beetles and moths. Nomadic movements tied to seasonal rainfall patterns.
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.