Rufous-cheeked Nightjar vs Spotted Nightjar

Caprimulgus rufigena verglichen mit Eurostopodus argus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Rufous-cheeked Nightjar Spotted Nightjar
Wissenschaftlicher Name Caprimulgus rufigena Eurostopodus argus
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Caprimulgidae Caprimulgidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 32,1 cm (12.6 in) 42,7 cm (16.8 in)
Gewicht 54,68333333333334 g (1.93 oz) 102,5 g (3.62 oz)
Ernährung Nocturnal aerial insectivore; catches moths, crickets, and beetles in sustained low-altitude hunting flights. Aerial insectivore; hawks large moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and dawn over Australian …
Gelegegröße 1-2 1
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

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Rufous-cheeked Nightjar only

Spotted Nightjar only

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Song & Call Comparison

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar

Gesang

Rapid churring trill interspersed with 'chook' notes; churring 'rrr-chook-rrr-chook' pattern; calls from southern African woodland at night; distinctive interrupted rhythm

Spotted Nightjar

Gesang

Loud churring 'good-lord-deliver-us' repeated at dusk; melodic bubbling quality; also emits hollow 'cow-cow-cow' series and soft frog-like croaking

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Geographic Range & Migration

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar

Breeds in southern Africa from Namibia to South Africa. Partially migratory, moving north in austral winter. Found in dry woodland and savanna.

Spotted Nightjar

Resident and partial migrant of open woodland, grassland, and scrub across mainland Australia and migrating to New Guinea and Indonesia in winter.

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Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar

Least Concern

Spotted Nightjar

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How to Tell Them Apart

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar

Gefieder

Cryptic brown-grey upperparts with bold black streaks; distinctive warm rufous-cinnamon cheek patch; white throat patch; males show white outer tail corners absent in females.

Spotted Nightjar

Gefieder

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 …

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About These Birds

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar

A slender nightjar (23-25 cm) with warm rufous cheek patches and grey-brown mottled plumage. Crepuscular and nocturnal, feeding on flying insects in dry savanna and semi-arid bushveld. Breeds across southern and eastern Africa. An intra-African migrant wintering in tropical regions.

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.

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