White-throated Nightjar

About the White-throated Nightjar

The white-throated nightjar or white-throated eared nightjar (Eurostopodus mystacalis) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to eastern Australia; it is a non-breeding winter visitor in Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.

The white-throated nightjar was formerly known as Eurostopodus albogularis but was later reclassified to E. mystacalis. Some texts may still refer to this species as Eurostopodus mystacalis albogularis. Before 2002, this species was regarded as conspecific with New Caledonian nightjar Eurostopodus exul and Solomons nightjar Eurostopodus nigripennis. However, later research separated the three into their own species based on differences in calls and song, and morphology. Since then, E. mystacalis has remained monotypic.

The genus name Eurostopodus is derived from the Greek words eurostos meaning 'strong' and podos or pous meaning 'foot', while the species name mystacalis is derived from Latin and means 'moustache'. E. mystacalis is the largest Australian nightjar species and measures around 30–37 cm. Males and females are very similar in appearance... Wikipedia →