Archbold's Nightjar
Eurostopodus archboldi
The only nightjar in the mountains of New Guinea. White chevron in the throat but lacks any white patches in the wing or tail. Forages in flight over forest gaps and heathland or does sallies from a perch. Similar to the lowland Papuan Nightjar but does not co-occur. Call, a short single note, followed by 2 churring notes, the second downslured, “whip! wirrr-weerrr”.
Identification
Archbold's nightjar (Eurostopodus archboldi), also known as the mountain eared nightjar or cloud-forest nightjar, is a dark and densely spotted species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to New Guinea and is the only nightjar species inhabiting the high-elevation subtropical and tropical montane forests of New Guinea. This bird is named after the American explorer Richard Archbold, whose expedition in New Guinea in 1933-1934 led to the discovery of the species. Archbold's nightjar is a nocturnal species, roosting on the ground during the day and emerging to forage at night. It is a proficient hunter, specialising in catching large insects while in flight. Due to its restricted geographic range and secretive nature, it is not commonly encountered, and very little is understood about this species. Additionally, due to the great diversity of other avian species in New Guinea, there has been a lack of targeted studies on nightjar species, and particularly not of E. archboldi.
Taxonomy
Genus: Eurostopodus; Family: Caprimulgidae; Order: Caprimulgiformes.
- Scientific name
- Eurostopodus archboldi
- Authority
- (Mayr & Rand, 1935)
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Caprimulgidae
- Genus
- Eurostopodus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
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