Spotted nightjar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spotted nightjar |
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Eurostopodus
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| Species: |
argus
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The spotted nightjar (Eurostopodus argus) is a special bird that belongs to the nightjar family. You can find it across most of Australia and on some islands in Indonesia. These birds love open forests, woodlands, and grassy areas. They also live in places with spinifex (a type of tough grass), savannahs, and even mangroves.
Spotted nightjars are bigger and more colorful than other nightjar birds. They have amazing patterns on their feathers that help them blend in perfectly with the ground. This is called camouflage. Adult spotted nightjars have large white spots on four of their outer wing feathers. Unlike some other nightjars, they don't have white markings on their tails.
These birds are active at night. They mostly eat insects. Spotted nightjars usually rest on the ground and rarely perch in trees. They even eat and drink while flying! They skim over water holes to get a drink.
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About the Spotted Nightjar
The spotted nightjar was first described by a scientist named Ernst Hartert in 1892. Nightjars are part of a larger group of birds called Caprimulgiformes. This group includes oilbirds, frogmouths, and potoos. The nightjar family itself has two main groups. The Eurostopodus group, which includes the spotted nightjar, has seven different kinds of birds.
Where Spotted Nightjars Live
You can find spotted nightjars almost everywhere in mainland Australia. However, they are usually not found along the eastern coast, from central Queensland down to South Australia. They also don't live in Tasmania.
Some of these birds stay in the same place all year, especially in northern Australia. But birds from the southern parts might move north for the winter, usually from May to September. Some spotted nightjars might even fly to Indonesian islands in the Banda Sea during winter. Sometimes, they fly a bit too far and end up in places like Irian Jaya.
Spotted Nightjar Homes
Spotted nightjars live in many different places, from deserts to mangroves. They prefer warmer, drier areas over places that are humid and cool. Their homes include savannahs, open forests, and scrublands with plants like mallee and acacia. They also like grasslands with spinifex.
These birds have even been seen in very tough places like rocky plains and deserts. They usually avoid thick grasslands and tall, dense forests. When they spend winter on Indonesian islands, they live in savannahs, grasslands, and the edges of rainforests.
What Spotted Nightjars Look Like
The spotted nightjar is one of the larger and more colorful nightjars. Its feathers have complex patterns of spots and flecks. This helps it blend in perfectly with red, grey, or brown ground that has rocks, leaves, and twigs.
It looks a bit like two other Australian nightjars: the large-tailed nightjar and the white-throated nightjar. But when an adult spotted nightjar flies, you can see large white spots on four of its outer wing feathers. It doesn't have the white tail markings that the large-tailed nightjar has.
Adult spotted nightjars are about 25–28 centimeters (10-11 inches) long. Males weigh between 81-132 grams, and females are a little smaller, weighing 74–123 grams. Their wingspan is about 20.5-23.9 centimeters. Their bills are brownish to black. Their eyes are brown, and their legs and feet are brown with darker claws.
Feather Patterns
An adult spotted nightjar's head is speckled grey. It has black feathers in the middle of its head and reddish-brown edges. The sides of its head are dark with yellowish-brown spots. Around its neck, it has a reddish-brown collar, often with black marks.
Its upper body is grey with reddish-brown and black stripes. The feathers covering its wings are speckled grey to black, often with clear yellowish-brown or reddish-brown spots. Four of its outermost wing feathers have white patches, which are easy to spot.
It has two large white oval patches on its mid-throat. The upper throat is dark with yellowish-brown spots. The lower throat and chest are yellowish-brown with dark brown bars and grey flecks. The belly is yellowish-brown.
Female spotted nightjars might be a bit lighter in color on their backs and bellies. Their white wing markings might also be a little less noticeable. Young nightjars (juveniles) have fine patterns and are more reddish than adults. Their white wing markings are smaller and often have yellowish edges.
Baby nightjars (downy young) are covered in short, reddish-brown fluff when they hatch. Soon after, they grow their juvenile feathers.
Spotted Nightjar Behavior
Spotted nightjars are active at dusk and dawn, and throughout the night. They are usually seen resting, walking, or running on the ground. You rarely see them sitting in trees. They are often found on roads at night. They have been seen flying around campfires and lights, catching insects.
If something scares them, they might fly a short distance and land again. But if the danger continues, they will fly further away. If a spotted nightjar is sitting on its egg and feels threatened, it might hiss. It will open its bill wide and spread its wings and tail to look bigger and scare off the threat. This is a type of distraction display.
These birds usually rest in partly shaded spots. They blend in well with fallen leaves or stony ground. They can handle hot temperatures by fluttering their throats to cool down. They also keep their backs to the sun and have a slow metabolism. Usually, you see them alone, but sometimes groups of up to 15 birds have been seen during migration.
Voice of the Nightjar
A typical call during breeding sounds like 9-12 notes that get higher in pitch. Then, it's followed by gobbling sounds. When they are on the ground near their nest, they might make frog-like croaking and soft cooing noises. Their song, which marks their territory, lasts 4–6 seconds. It starts with 2-5 notes that go up in pitch, getting faster. Then, it's followed by 8-15 quick, high-pitched double notes.
What Spotted Nightjars Eat
Spotted nightjars catch insects while flying. They often hunt low to the ground, about 20–30 meters up. They have been seen drinking water while flying by skimming over water holes. They also get water from the insects they eat.
Spotted nightjars eat almost only insects. Their diet includes bugs, beetles, moths, winged ants, grasshoppers, locusts, lacewings, and mantids.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Spotted nightjars usually breed between September and December. Birds in the north breed earlier than those in the south. In central Australia, breeding often happens after heavy rain.
These birds don't build a nest. Instead, the female lays a single pale yellow-green egg with purple-brown spots directly on the ground. The egg is usually hidden among leaves, twigs, grass, and stones, making it hard to spot. Both parents help incubate the egg for about 30 days.
Chicks can walk soon after hatching. They can flutter short distances when they are about 20 days old. They become mostly independent after 30 days. If conditions are good, a female might lay a second egg when her first chick is about 22 days old. One female was even recorded laying five eggs and successfully raising two groups of chicks in one season!
Status and Protection
The spotted nightjar used to be common in inland and northern Australia. However, it might be becoming rarer, especially in the southern areas. This is because of habitat loss. Their homes are being cleared, and the remaining natural areas are not as healthy due to overgrazing.
Feral cats and foxes also hunt these birds, which likely affects their numbers in some places. The spotted nightjar is now listed as one of Australia's 26 woodland birds that are declining in population.
Images for kids
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A spotted nightjar resting on the ground, showing its camouflage.
See also
In Spanish: Eurostopodus argus para niños
