Papuan Nightjar vs Greater Band-winged Nightjar
Eurostopodus papuensis compared with Systellura longirostris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Papuan Nightjar | Greater Band-winged Nightjar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eurostopodus papuensis | Systellura longirostris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Caprimulgidae | Caprimulgidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 37.9 cm (14.9 in) | 31.0 cm (12.2 in) |
| Weight | 80.5 g (2.84 oz) | 45.666666666666664 g (1.61 oz) |
| Diet | Hawks large flying insects, especially moths, at night over Papuan forest and savanna. | Aerial insectivore; catches moths and flying insects at night over South American open and scrubby … |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1-2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Papuan Nightjar
Churring, repetitive nocturnal call; soft bubbling trill; melodic series of hollow notes; calls from low perch or ground in New Guinea lowland forest
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
Papuan Nightjar
Resident of savanna woodland, grass, and scrub in lowland New Guinea (Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).
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
Papuan Nightjar
Greater Band-winged Nightjar
How to Tell Them Apart
Papuan Nightjar
Dark grey-brown finely vermiculated with buff and black; pale buff and rufous throat patch; pale supercilium; no white wing patches; tail barred brown and buff; cryptically patterned bark-mimicking plumage.
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
Papuan Nightjar
A small Caprimulgidae nightjar (~81 g) of lowland savanna, grassland, and forest edges across the southern lowlands of New Guinea. Cryptic buff-and-brown plumage; white-spotted wings visible in flight. Nocturnal aerial insectivore. Commonly heard at night but rarely seen by day. 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.