Fiery-necked Nightjar vs Papuan Nightjar
Caprimulgus pectoralis compared with Eurostopodus papuensis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Fiery-necked Nightjar | Papuan Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Caprimulgus pectoralis | Eurostopodus papuensis |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 31.9 cm (12.6 in) | 37.9 cm (14.9 in) |
| Weight | 52.083333333333336 g (1.84 oz) | 80.5 g (2.84 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds at dusk and night on moths and large flying beetles caught in aerial sallies … | Hawks large flying insects, especially moths, at night over Papuan forest and savanna. |
| Clutch Size | 1-2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Fiery-necked Nightjar
Rich, melodic 'good-lord-deliver-us'; beautiful flute-like whistled phrase; most musical of African nightjars; calls from savanna woodland at dusk; unmistakable song
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
Fiery-necked Nightjar
Found in East Africa from Ethiopia south to Tanzania on mountain ranges. Resident in montane moorland and forest edge at 1,500–4,000 m.
Papuan Nightjar
Resident of savanna woodland, grass, and scrub in lowland New Guinea (Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).
Conservation Status
Fiery-necked Nightjar
Papuan Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Fiery-necked Nightjar
Distinctive bold orange-rufous hindneck collar contrasting with dark brown crown; upperparts brown with black streaks and buff mottling; white throat patch; males show white outer tail spots; Africa's most recognisable …
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
Fiery-necked Nightjar
A medium-sized nightjar (23-25 cm) widespread across sub-Saharan African woodlands and savanna. Rich brown plumage with a bold rufous collar. Named for its extraordinary, unmistakable song: a prolonged, melodic good-lord-deliver-us call. Nocturnal insectivore; resident.
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.