- Aegotheles cristatus
Identification
Male:
Grey, with paler underparts faintly barred with black. Two wide black stripes extend over the head from the top of the eyes, and meet on the back of the neck.
Female
- Two colour morphs
Rufous and Grey, though the grey form has some rufous tinging. Otherwise similar to the male.
Distribution
Australia including Tasmania, and New Guinea.
Taxonomy
In the past, New Caledonian Owlet-nightjar has been included in Australian Owlet-nightjar.
Subspecies[1]
Two subspecies are recognized:
- A. c. cristatus (major, leucogaster):
- South-eastern New Guinea and Australia
- A. c. tasmanicus:
Habitat
Woodland, open valleys, wetlands and areas of degraded agricultural land.
Behaviour
Breeding
They nest in hollow tree or fencepost. They raise one brood per season. Both sexes construct the nest, incubate the eggs and care for the chicks.
Diet
The diet includes insects.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Birds in Backyards
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Australian Owlet-nightjar. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 9 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Australian_Owlet-nightjar
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.