Spotted Nightjar vs Lesser Band-winged Nightjar
Eurostopodus argus compared with Systellura decussata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Spotted Nightjar | Lesser Band-winged Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eurostopodus argus | Systellura decussata |
| 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) | 31.833333333333332 g (1.12 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian … | Hawks flying insects at night over Andean and coastal scrub of Peru and northern Chile. |
| Clutch Size | 1 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Spotted Nightjar only
Lesser Band-winged Nightjar only
None
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
Lesser Band-winged Nightjar
Soft 'tyuk' phrases; lighter and higher than Greater Band-winged; gentle churring trill; calls from Pacific coastal scrub at dusk; thin, reedy alarm note
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.
Lesser Band-winged Nightjar
Resident of desert scrub, rocky hillsides, and coastal pampas in Peru and northern Chile; closely associated with arid Pacific slope.
Conservation Status
Spotted Nightjar
Lesser Band-winged 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 …
Lesser Band-winged Nightjar
Smaller than Greater Band-winged; brown and buff mottled with dark vermiculations; white wing bar across primaries; white throat in male; buff throat in female; white outer tail spots in male; …
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.
Lesser Band-winged Nightjar
A very small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~32 g) of coastal desert scrub and rocky slopes in Peru and northern Chile. Pale-buffy with fine vermiculations and a paler wing band. Restricted to very arid Pacific-slope habitats. Nocturnal; feeds on small insects. Little studied; Least Concern in its specialised desert range.