NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Starry Owlet-nightjar
Aegotheles tatei Rand, 1941
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 starry owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles tatei), also known as the spangled owlet-nightjar, is a small to medium-sized, secretive nocturnal bird species found in the lowland forests of New Guinea. Like other owlet-nightjars in the family Aegothelidae, it has a distinctive appearance that falls between an owl and a nightjar. The species is very poorly known, recorded only from a few specimens and sightings. Due to its elusive nature, little is known about its life history, especially breeding behaviours and diet. Further study could reveal more about the species and inform future conservation and management efforts.
Wikipedia contributors, Starry owlet-nightjar; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:50:35.242429+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aegotheles tatei Rand, 1941
- Name authority
- Rand, 1941
- Common name
- Starry 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 tatei Rand, 1941
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 |
| Feline Owlet-nightjarAegotheles insignis Salvadori, 1876 | AegothelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Vogelkop Owlet-nightjarAegotheles affinis Salvadori, 1876 | 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 tatei (Rand, 1941) (Rand, 1941) | 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=1149389 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:8K3M7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.