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Wallace's Owlet-nightjar - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Pete Morris
Aegotheles wallacii

Identification

20–23 cm (8-9 in)
Patterned brown, grey, rufous, buff and black. Large head, large forward-facing eyes within a facial disk, rounded wings, small legs and feet, long toes that bear long claws.

Distribution

New Guinea and some surrounding islands.

Taxonomy

Wallace's Owlet Nightjar has in the past been believed to be a part of Barred Owlet-nightjar.

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized[1]:

  • A. w. wallacii:
  • A. w. gigas:
Weyland Mountains (west-central New Guinea)
  • A. w. manni:
  • Coastal mountains of New Guinea (Mount Menawa and Mount Turu)

Habitat

Forest, woodlands, scrub, and savannas.

Behaviour

Nocturnal.

Breeding

They nest in holes.

Diet

The diet includes insects such as spiders and millipedes.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.

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