NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Spotted Nightjar
Eurostopodus argus Hartert, 1892
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Spotted Nightjar (Eurostopodus argus), Northern Territory, Australia
Christopher Watson (http://www.comebirdwatching.blogspot.com/) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The spotted nightjar or spotted eared-nightjar (Eurostopodus argus) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae.
It inhabits much of mainland Australia and has also been found in several Indonesian islands.
Its natural habitats are open forests and woodlands, scrub, spinifex and tussock grassland, savannah woodland and mangroves.
Spotted nightjars are larger and more colorful than other species of nightjar, and are known for their intricately flecked plumage patterns which allow them to camouflage well against the ground. Adult spotted nightjar have large white spots on four outer primary feathers, lacking the white tail markings of the more tropical large-tailed nightjar.
Spotted nightjars are nocturnal and insectivorous, and primarily roost on the ground, rarely perching in trees. They tend to both eat and drink while in flight, skimming along the surface of water holes in order to do so.
Wikipedia contributors, Spotted nightjar; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:44:39.159228+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Eurostopodus argus Hartert, 1892
- Name authority
- Hartert, 1892
- Common name
- Spotted Nightjar
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Caprimulgidae
- Genus
- Eurostopodus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCaprimulgiformes
- familyCaprimulgidae
- genusEurostopodus Gould, 1838
- speciesEurostopodus argus Hartert, 1892
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Eurostopodus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Satanic NightjarEurostopodus diabolicus Stresemann, 1931 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| New Caledonian NightjarEurostopodus exul Mayr, 1941 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-throated NightjarEurostopodus mystacalis (Temminck, 1826) | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Archbold's NightjarEurostopodus archboldi (Mayr & Rand, 1935) | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Solomons NightjarEurostopodus nigripennis E. P. Ramsay, 1882 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Papuan NightjarEurostopodus papuensis (Schlegel, 1866) | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=555531 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3D2H3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.