Spotted Nightjar vs Yucatan Poorwill
Eurostopodus argus compared with Nyctiphrynus yucatanicus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Spotted Nightjar | Yucatan Poorwill |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eurostopodus argus | Nyctiphrynus yucatanicus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 42.7 cm (16.8 in) | 21.8 cm (8.6 in) |
| Weight | 102.5 g (3.62 oz) | 24.5 g (0.86 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian … | Aerial insectivore; catches moths and beetles at night over Yucatan Peninsula dry forest and scrub. |
| Clutch Size | 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
Yucatan Poorwill
Thin, whistled 'poor-will'; high and reedy for a nightjar; calls from dry Yucatan scrub at dusk; small size reflected in lighter, thinner call quality
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.
Yucatan Poorwill
Resident of lowland tropical forest and scrub in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Belize, and northern Guatemala.
Conservation Status
Spotted Nightjar
Yucatan Poorwill
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 …
Yucatan Poorwill
Pale sandy-brown and buff mottled above; pale buff below with dark barring; white throat in male; no ear tufts unlike Eared Poorwill; small white outer tail spots; restricted to Yucatan …
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.
Yucatan Poorwill
A tiny Caprimulgidae poorwill (~25 g) of dry scrub and thorn forest on the Yucatan Peninsula and adjacent Belize. One of the smallest poorwills. Brown-and-buff finely vermiculated plumage. Roosts on the ground amid leaf litter. Nocturnal insectivore, taking tiny moths and beetles. Least Concern within its restricted range.