Spotted Nightjar vs Little Nightjar
Eurostopodus argus compared with Setopagis parvula
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Spotted Nightjar | Little Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eurostopodus argus | Setopagis parvula |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 42.7 cm (16.8 in) | 26.6 cm (10.5 in) |
| Weight | 102.5 g (3.62 oz) | 35.75 g (1.26 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian … | Catches small flying insects at night over South American open grassland and dry 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
Little Nightjar
Rapid, churring 'churr-churr-churr' repeated monotonously; moderate pitch; calls from open cerrado at night; alarm a sharp 'chek'; small size reflected in lighter tone
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.
Little Nightjar
Resident of dry woodland, scrub, and cerrado from Venezuela and the Guianas south through Brazil to Bolivia and northern Argentina.
Conservation Status
Spotted Nightjar
Little 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 …
Little Nightjar
Grey-brown and buff mottled with dark vermiculations; white throat patch in male; white outer tail spots in male; buff throat and tail spots in female; no white wing patches; pale …
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.
Little Nightjar
A small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~36 g) of open woodland, chaco, and savanna in Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and southern Brazil. Pale brown with fine buff vermiculations; white primary patches visible in flight. Calls with a rapid churring trill. Nocturnal insectivore. Common in dry-land habitats; Least Concern.