White-winged Nightjar vs Archbold's Nightjar
Eleothreptus candicans compared with Eurostopodus archboldi
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | White-winged Nightjar | Archbold's Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eleothreptus candicans | Eurostopodus archboldi |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 30.2 cm (11.9 in) | 41.0 cm (16.1 in) |
| Weight | 49.666666666666664 g (1.75 oz) | 77.0 g (2.72 oz) |
| Diet | Catches flying insects in nocturnal aerial sallies over South American savanna and grassland. | Aerial insectivore; catches moths and beetles in nocturnal flight over New Guinea montane forest. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
White-winged Nightjar
Soft, purring 'purrr' from cerrado grassland; low, muffled churring; males perform wing-clapping display producing sharp snapping sounds; vocalizations otherwise quiet
Archbold's Nightjar
Rarely recorded; presumed churring nocturnal song; low, resonant trilling typical of genus; vocalizations scarcely documented from highland New Guinea
Geographic Range & Migration
White-winged Nightjar
Resident of campo cerrado grassland and open savanna in interior Brazil (Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais); rare and endangered.
Archbold's Nightjar
Resident of montane forest in central New Guinea (Snow Mountains and Star Mountains) above 1,500 m; very poorly known.
Conservation Status
White-winged Nightjar
Archbold's Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
White-winged Nightjar
Male largely white on wings with dark brown body; white wing patches striking in flight; brown crown and back; white tail. Female cryptically mottled brown and buff; lacks white wings …
Archbold's Nightjar
Brown and dark grey with rufous-buff vermiculations; whitish throat patch; pale buff supercilium contrasts with darker crown; no white wing or tail patches; tail barred; New Guinea highlands; few records.
About These Birds
White-winged Nightjar
A small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~50 g) of cerrado grasslands in central South America (Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay). Males are almost entirely white; females cryptically brown. One of the most distinctive nightjars. Inhabits open grassland with scattered shrubs. Vulnerable from rapid cerrado agricultural conversion.
Archbold's Nightjar
A small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~77 g) known from subalpine grasslands and forest margins in the interior mountains of New Guinea. Named after naturalist Richard Archbold. Cryptic brown-patterned plumage. Nocturnal insectivore. Infrequently observed; biology largely undescribed. Least Concern in its montane range.