Spotted Nightjar vs Blackish Nightjar
Eurostopodus argus compared with Nyctipolus nigrescens
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Spotted Nightjar | Blackish Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eurostopodus argus | Nyctipolus nigrescens |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 42.7 cm (16.8 in) | 27.6 cm (10.9 in) |
| Weight | 102.5 g (3.62 oz) | 35.625 g (1.26 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian … | Nocturnal aerial insectivore; catches moths and small beetles in flight over South American forest and … |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1 |
| 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
Blackish Nightjar
Soft, purring 'churr' at low volume; gentle repetitive trill from rocky substrate; calls modestly at dusk; alarm a sharp 'chek'; blends with dark rocky habitat
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.
Blackish Nightjar
Resident of rocky outcrops, open woodland, and savanna in northern South America from Venezuela and the Guianas to Colombia and northern Brazil.
Conservation Status
Spotted Nightjar
Blackish 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 …
Blackish Nightjar
Uniformly dark sooty-brown with fine buff and rufous vermiculations; pale buff throat patch; no white wing patches or tail spots; one of the darkest nightjars; closely resembles dark rocky substrates …
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.
Blackish Nightjar
A small, very dark Caprimulgidae nightjar (~36 g) of rocky outcrops and boulder-strewn habitat in northern South America from Venezuela to northeastern Brazil. Dark sooty-brown plumage blends with dark rocks. Roosts motionless on stones by day. Hunts small insects at night. Least Concern in its rocky habitat.