Australian Owlet-nightjar

Aegotheles cristatus (Shaw, 1790)

21–25 cmLength43 gWeight

The Australian owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus) is a nocturnal bird found in open woodland across Australia and in southern New Guinea.

Busiest months: January and October · Most records: Australia, Papua New Guinea

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Australian Owlet-nightjar has been recorded at 94 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Crusoe Reservoir and No. 7 ParkAustralia429 records
Kumbartcho SanctuaryAustralia373 records
Mt Ainslie Nature Reserve – Campbell ParkAustralia369 records

More places

Bowra Wildlife SanctuaryAustralia365 records
Australian National Botanic GardensAustralia212 records
Gluepot ReserveAustralia200 records
Goschen Bushland ReserveAustralia192 records
Broome Bird ObservatoryAustralia185 records
Hattah-Kulkyne National ParkAustralia178 records
Terrick Terrick National ParkAustralia160 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Australia Papua New Guinea

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Australian owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus) is a nocturnal bird found in open woodland across Australia and in southern New Guinea. It is the smallest nocturnal bird found in Australia, making it prone to predation. It is colloquially known as the moth owl or fairy owl and Jarlajirrpi by the Warlpiri people.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Australian Owlet-nightjar?

The Australian Owlet-nightjar is about 21–25 cm long and weighs around 43 g.

Where does the Australian Owlet-nightjar live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: south-central, southeastern New Guinea, Australia and Tasmania. It is most often recorded in Australia and Papua New Guinea.