Spotted Nightjar
Parent, Close Up
Ellura
Spotted Nightjar
Day Old Chick, profile
 
                      
Spotted Nightjar (Eurostopodus argus)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Birds (Aves)
Order: Nightbirds (Caprimulgiformes)
Family: Nightjar (Caprimulgidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Spotted Nightjar (Eurostopodus argus)
This Photo:     🔍Parent, Camouflage🔎

Thank you Brendan Duggan, Bradley W. Jones & Ollie Scully for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
Nests on the ground. Uses camouflage for protection. Has very distinctive white stripes on the wings (both upper & lower).
When exploring Ellura, we were startled by a medium-large sized bird on the ground suddenly taking flight. In no time it was hundreds of metres away. A Brown Falcon then decided it was invading it's territory and started dive bombing it.
Yesterday (14 Jan 2015), a similar thing happened again. This time it kept landing on the ground. We followed it in circles for about 4 landings before loosing it. Couldn't get a photo, due to the bushes & trees. At one point it was right in front of us and probably could have taken a photo if we could see it. Its camouflage is amazing.
Yesterday (21 11 2021), while collecting Eucalypt specimens for id, Marie was started by a pair of adults lifting from the ground. When she was looking for them, she saw the little chick on the ground. We estimate it's only a day old, but may be older, we aren't sure; it's very exciting!
When we went to photograph it, the one sitting kept lifting but only going for a short distance. It was leading us away from the chick; staying a safe distance from us but also not hiding too much. We quickly turned and left them alone.

Copyright © 2021-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 21-Nov-2021
This species is classed as RA (Rare) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)