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:
- West New Guinea and Aru Islands
- 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
- 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
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Wallace's Owlet-nightjar. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Wallace%27s_Owlet-nightjar
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
