Spotted Nightjar vs Pauraque
Eurostopodus argus compared with Nyctidromus albicollis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Spotted Nightjar | Pauraque |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eurostopodus argus | Nyctidromus albicollis |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 42.7 cm (16.8 in) | 30.2 cm (11.9 in) |
| Weight | 102.5 g (3.62 oz) | 54.275 g (1.91 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian … | Nocturnal aerial insectivore; hawks moths, beetles, and flying insects over Neotropical forest edges and clearings. |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1-2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
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
Pauraque
Loud, whistled 'wh-WHEER' or 'come-to-me'; clear melodic quality; rich, slurred whistle carrying through lowland forest; alarm a harsh bark; common sound at dusk
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.
Pauraque
Widespread resident of open woodland, scrub, and forest edge from Texas (USA) south through Central America and tropical South America to Argentina.
Conservation Status
Spotted Nightjar
Pauraque
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 …
Pauraque
Brown and rufous mottled above with dark vermiculations; white throat patch bordered by rufous; white outer tail feathers in male; white wing bar visible in flight. Female has buff outer …
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.
Pauraque
A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~54 g) of forest edges, gardens, and open scrub from Texas south through Central and South America. Distinctively long tail with white outer rectrices; rufous facial patch. Highly vocal at night with loud repeated 'pur-WEE' calls. Feeds on moths and beetles. Least Concern.