Australian Owlet-nightjar

About the Australian Owlet-nightjar

The Australian owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus) is a nocturnal bird found in open woodland across Australia and in southern New Guinea. It is the smallest nocturnal bird found in Australia, making it prone to predation. It is colloquially known as the moth owl or fairy owl and Jarlajirrpi by the Warlpiri people. It is the most common nocturnal bird in Australia. Despite suffering from predation and competition by introduced species, it is not considered threatened.

The Australian owlet-nightjar was formally described as Caprimulgus cristatus in 1790 by the English naturalist George Shaw based on a specimen collected in New South Wales, Australia. The species was described in the same year by John Latham as Caprimulgus novaehollandiae but Shaw's account is believed to be earlier and thus has precedence. The Australian owlet-nightjar was previously placed in Caprimulgiformes but updated taxonomy now places it in Aegotheliformes. The Australian owlet-nightjar is now one of ten species placed in the genus Aegotheles that was introduced in 1827 by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield. It is the type species of the genus. The specific epithet cristatus... Wikipedia →