Spotted Nightjar vs Short-tailed Nighthawk
Eurostopodus argus compared with Lurocalis semitorquatus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Spotted Nightjar | Short-tailed Nighthawk |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eurostopodus argus | Lurocalis semitorquatus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 42.7 cm (16.8 in) | 37.1 cm (14.6 in) |
| Weight | 102.5 g (3.62 oz) | 80.7 g (2.85 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian … | Aerial insectivore; hawks large beetles and moths at night over South American forest canopy and … |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Spotted Nightjar only
Short-tailed Nighthawk only
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
Short-tailed Nighthawk
Loud, frog-like 'wok' or 'bok' repeated at dusk; hollow resonant quality; calls from high canopy in flight; rapid series when excited; distinctive and far-carrying
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.
Short-tailed Nighthawk
Resident of lowland forest edge and open woodland from Mexico through Central America and tropical South America to Bolivia and Brazil.
Conservation Status
Spotted Nightjar
Short-tailed Nighthawk
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 …
Short-tailed Nighthawk
Dark sooty-brown with buff and rufous spotting; rufous-spotted throat forms partial collar; short rounded tail barred dark brown and buff; lacks white wing bar; darker and more uniformly colored than …
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.
Short-tailed Nighthawk
A medium Caprimulgidae nighthawk (~81 g) of forest canopy edges and second growth across much of tropical South America and Central America. Dark brown plumage with a white throat patch. Flies swiftly above the canopy at dusk, catching insects. Rounded wings and very short tail are distinctive. Least Concern.