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Australian Owlet-nightjarAlternate name(s): "Little Nightjar", "Banded Goat-sucker", "Crested Goat-sucker", "Moth Owl" ![]() Size: 21-25 cm Weight: 35-65 g |
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Photos |
Race "cristatus"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Rufous-grey morphology
Frontal view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar peeking out of its
hollow (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Alban's, NSW, February 2011]
Frontal/dorsal view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar
again
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, September 2008]
Near-lateral view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar on a
Pandanus stump (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, November 2021]
Lateral view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar peeking out of its
hollow (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Alban's, NSW, February 2011]
Lateral view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar looking towards the observer
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, September 2008]
Lateral view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar;
note the "hairy" appearance of the feathers on its head
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, September 2008]
Dorsal view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar
in this view
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, September 2008]
Dark-grey morphology
Close-up lateral view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar
in brilliant sunlight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, February 2018]
Grey morphology with orange face and collar
Frontal view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar looking out of
its hollow (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2018]
Frontal view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2018]
Lateral view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2018]
Lateral view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar with its eyes closed
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2018]
Near-dorsal/ventral view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar looking
at the observer (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2019]
Near-dorsal/ventral view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2019]
Location of an Australian Owlet-nightjar hollow in a major trunk
of an eucalypt tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2018]
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Behaviour |
As opposed to various species of nightjars known to us, Australian Owlet-nightjars do perch on shrubs or trees; they use tree hollows for roosting and have not been found by us on the ground yet.
Frontal view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar looking out of
its hollow, in this case with a wide opening
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[JC Slaughter Falls, Brisbane, QLD, May 2020]
Frontal view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar looking out of
its hollow, here with a narrow opening
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2018]
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Food, Diet |
Australian Owlet-nightjars are insect hunters.
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.
ozowlet_20140319_3.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
Contact call | © MD | |
ozowlet_20140502_2.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
Contact calls | © MD | |
ozowlet_20151016_2.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
Contact calls (Q&A) | © MD | |
ozowlet_20191203_7.m4a |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
Various | © MD | |
ozowlet_20140924.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
Various (reaction to playback) | © MD | |
ozowlet_20191014.m4a |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
ozowlet_20151016_1.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
ozowlet_20191203_2.m4a |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
ozowlet_20191203_3.m4a |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
ozowlet_20191203_5.m4a |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
ozowlet_20191203_6.m4a |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
ozowlet_20191203.m4a |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD |
The call sequence of an Australian Owlet-nightjar can be very slow. The following recording, taken during daylight hours (at about 8:30 in the morning), has calls separated by about 20 seconds each.
ozowlet_20140519_3.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
Contact calls | © MD |
On the night of 5-6 December 2022 we recorded an Australian Owlet-nightjar using a variety of calls.
ozowlet_20221205_2.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
ozowlet_20221205_5.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
Tyto owl-like screeching calls | © MD | |
ozowlet_20221205_6.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
ozowlet_20221205_7.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
ozowlet_20221205_8.mp3 |
cristatus (NW NSW) |
? | © MD |
More Australian Owlet-nightjar sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.