NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Feline Owlet-nightjar
Aegotheles insignis Salvadori, 1876
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The feline owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles insignis) is a species of bird in the order Aegotheliformes and the family Aegothelidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
It is the largest owlet-nightjar in New Guinea. In general, it is a rufous bird whose underparts are streaked with three bands of white. It has a prominent white supercilium. Despite being the largest owlet-nightjar and being considered a fairly common bird, the feline owlet-nightjar is quite elusive and not often seen. The feline owlet-nightjar is closely related to the starry owlet-nightjar, although the two are considered as separate species. The primary food source for this species is insects, particularly beetles. The species is considered to be of least concern, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, although its biggest threat is deforestation.
Wikipedia contributors, Feline owlet-nightjar; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:49:07.470957+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aegotheles insignis Salvadori, 1876
- Name authority
- Salvadori, 1876
- Common name
- Feline Owlet-nightjar
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Aegothelidae
- Genus
- Aegotheles
- 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
- orderApodiformes
- familyAegothelidae
- genusAegotheles Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
- speciesAegotheles insignis Salvadori, 1876
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Aegotheles. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Owlet-NightjarAegotheles cristatus (Shaw, 1790) | AegothelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Barred Owlet-NightjarAegotheles bennettii Salvadori & D'Albertis, 1875 | AegothelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Wallace's Owlet-NightjarAegotheles wallacii G. R. Gray, 1859 | AegothelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Vogelkop Owlet-nightjarAegotheles affinis Salvadori, 1876 | AegothelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Starry Owlet-nightjarAegotheles tatei Rand, 1941 | AegothelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mountain Owlet-NightjarAegotheles albertisi P. L. Sclater, 1874 | AegothelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Enigmatic Owlet-NightjarAegotheles savesi E. L. Layard & E. L. C. Layard, 1881 | AegothelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Euaegotheles insignis (Salvadori, 1876) (Salvadori, 1876) | synonym |
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=555503 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:8HTG5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.