Star-spotted Nightjar vs Papuan Nightjar
Caprimulgus stellatus compared with Eurostopodus papuensis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Star-spotted Nightjar | Papuan Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Caprimulgus stellatus | Eurostopodus papuensis |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 30.9 cm (12.2 in) | 37.9 cm (14.9 in) |
| Weight | 59.25 g (2.09 oz) | 80.5 g (2.84 oz) |
| Diet | Crepuscular insect hawker; primarily moths and beetles caught during aerial sallies over forest edges. | Hawks large flying insects, especially moths, at night over Papuan forest and savanna. |
| Clutch Size | -- | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Star-spotted Nightjar
Churring trill; hollow 'chuck' notes interspersed with churring; calls from dry East African bush at night; similar to Donaldson Smith's but larger and louder
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
Star-spotted Nightjar
Found from India and Sri Lanka east to southern China, Indochina, and the Philippines. Resident in open country, rice paddies, and light scrub.
Papuan Nightjar
Resident of savanna woodland, grass, and scrub in lowland New Guinea (Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).
Conservation Status
Star-spotted Nightjar
Papuan Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Star-spotted Nightjar
Dark brown upperparts densely dotted with small buff-white stellate spots; white throat patch; underparts barred buff and dark brown; the star-like white spotting on wing coverts and back is the …
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
Star-spotted Nightjar
A small nightjar (21-23 cm) found in dry, rocky semi-desert and arid bushland of the Horn of Africa and southern Arabian Peninsula. Sandy-brown plumage with star-like white spots on wing coverts. Nocturnal insectivore. Poorly studied due to remote habitat.
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.