Spotted Nightjar vs New Caledonian Nightjar
Eurostopodus argus compared with Eurostopodus exul
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Spotted Nightjar | New Caledonian Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eurostopodus argus | Eurostopodus exul |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 42.7 cm (16.8 in) | 36.4 cm (14.3 in) |
| Weight | 102.5 g (3.62 oz) | 77.0 g (2.72 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian … | Feeds on flying insects caught in aerial pursuit at night; extinct in New Caledonia, diet … |
| Clutch Size | 1 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Spotted Nightjar only
New Caledonian Nightjar only
None
Song & Call Comparison
Spotted Nightjar
Loud churring 'good-lord-deliver-us' repeated at dusk; melodic bubbling quality; also emits hollow 'cow-cow-cow' series and soft frog-like croaking
New Caledonian Nightjar
Poorly documented calls; presumed churring nocturnal song similar to congeners; deep resonant trilling at low pitch; vocalizations essentially unknown
Geographic Range & Migration
Spotted Nightjar
Resident and partial migrant of open woodland, grassland, and scrub across mainland Australia and migrating to New Guinea and Indonesia in winter.
New Caledonian Nightjar
Formerly endemic to New Caledonia; known from historical records only; possibly extinct, last confirmed late 19th century.
Conservation Status
Spotted Nightjar
New Caledonian Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Spotted Nightjar
Cryptically mottled grey-brown, rufous, and black with intricate vermiculations; distinctive large white spots on wing coverts; white throat patch; no white in wings or tail. Sexes similar with slight pattern …
New Caledonian Nightjar
Brown and grey mottled with buff and dark vermiculations; whitish-buff throat patch; fine pale shaft streaks on crown; no white in wings or tail; known from very few specimens; New …
About These Birds
Spotted Nightjar
A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~103 g) of open woodland, spinifex grassland, and rocky ridges across mainland Australia. Intricately spotted and barred brown, grey, and buff. Cryptic by day on the ground among leaf litter. Crepuscular and nocturnal; feeds on flying insects caught in aerial pursuit. Least Concern.
New Caledonian Nightjar
A small, poorly known Caprimulgidae nightjar (~77 g) endemic to New Caledonia. Known from very few specimens; status unclear and possibly extinct. Cryptic brown-and-buff plumage. Presumed to inhabit open scrub or forest edge. Crepuscular insectivore. Not evaluated by IUCN due to scarcity of data.