Spotted Nightjar vs Lyre-tailed Nightjar
Eurostopodus argus compared with Uropsalis lyra
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Spotted Nightjar | Lyre-tailed Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eurostopodus argus | Uropsalis lyra |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 42.7 cm (16.8 in) | 35.2 cm (13.9 in) |
| Weight | 102.5 g (3.62 oz) | 71.25 g (2.51 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian … | Hawks moths and flying insects at night over Andean montane forest; male's enormously long tail … |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Spotted Nightjar only
Lyre-tailed 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
Lyre-tailed Nightjar
Clear, melodic whistled phrase; 'wheeeoo' delivered from Andean ridges; males give repeated territorial whistle; alarm a sharp 'chek'; female call quieter and thinner
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.
Lyre-tailed Nightjar
Resident of Andean cloud forest and forest edge in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, at 1,000–2,500 m.
Conservation Status
Spotted Nightjar
Lyre-tailed 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 …
Lyre-tailed Nightjar
Male dark brown with buff mottling; outer tail feathers massively elongated and curved outward forming lyre shape up to 60 cm; white throat. Female plain brown and buff mottled without …
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.
Lyre-tailed Nightjar
A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~71 g) of Andean cloud forests from Venezuela to Bolivia. Males bear enormously elongated outer tail feathers extending over three times the body length in a lyrate shape; females lack this ornamentation. Inhabits moist montane forest edges. Feeds on insects at night. Least Concern.