Spotted Nightjar vs Greater Band-winged Nightjar
Eurostopodus argus compared with Systellura longirostris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Spotted Nightjar | Greater Band-winged Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eurostopodus argus | Systellura longirostris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 42.7 cm (16.8 in) | 31.0 cm (12.2 in) |
| Weight | 102.5 g (3.62 oz) | 45.666666666666664 g (1.61 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian … | Aerial insectivore; catches moths and flying insects at night over South American open and scrubby … |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1-2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Spotted Nightjar only
Greater 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
Greater Band-winged Nightjar
Repeated 'tyuk-tyuk' or 'chuck-will'; whistled, melodic phrase; calls from Andean slopes and scrub; alarm a sharp bark; cleaner tone than lowland nightjars
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.
Greater Band-winged Nightjar
Resident of open rocky slopes and Andean scrub from Ecuador south through Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina to Patagonia and the Falkland Islands.
Conservation Status
Spotted Nightjar
Greater 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 …
Greater Band-winged Nightjar
Brown and grey mottled with dark brown and buff vermiculations; white wing bar across primaries forming band pattern in flight; white throat in male; buff throat in female; white 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.
Greater Band-winged Nightjar
A small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~46 g) of open scrub, grassland, and rocky slopes from Argentina northward through the Andes to Colombia. Brown-and-buff cryptic plumage with a pale wing bar. Highly vocal at night in Andean valleys. Feeds on insects aerially. Least Concern across its wide South American range.