Bird Album
Ocellated Poorwill
Nyctiphrynus ocellatus (Tschudi, 1844)
20–21 cmLength40 gWeight
The ocellated poorwill (Nyctiphrynus ocellatus) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae.
Busiest months: July–October · Most records: Peru, Brazil, Argentina
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: July–October · Most records: Peru, Brazil, Argentina
Ocellated Poorwill has been recorded at 90 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 8 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Los Amigos Biological StationPeru330 records
- Brasília – Pompílio Marques, Faz. GrotãoBrazil186 records
- Jardim da AmazôniaBrazil166 records
More places
- Estación Biológica de Cocha CashuPeru164 records
- PNM Augusto RuschiBrazil148 records
- Tambopata Research CenterPeru127 records
- Rio Cristalino – listas históricasBrazil106 records
- Manu Birding LodgePeru86 records
- Pantiacolla LodgePeru75 records
- Porto Seguro – RPPN Estação VeracelBrazil75 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 ocellated poorwill (Nyctiphrynus ocellatus) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Ocellated Poorwill?
The Ocellated Poorwill is about 20–21 cm long and weighs around 40 g.
Where does the Ocellated Poorwill live?
Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: widespread. It is most often recorded in Peru, Brazil and Argentina.
When is the best time to see the Ocellated Poorwill?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July, August, September and October (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Ocellated Poorwill endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Ocellated Poorwill as Least Concern.
What does the Ocellated Poorwill eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Ocellated Poorwill in?
It belongs to the family Nightjars (Caprimulgidae), order Caprimulgiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 20–21 cm
- Weight
- 40 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 125 mm
- Tail
- 112 mm
- Bill
- 14 mm
- Tarsus
- 16 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Middle America, South America: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Nightjars Caprimulgidae
- Genus
- Nyctiphrynus
Other birds in the genus Nyctiphrynus
Choco PoorwillNyctiphrynus rosenbergi
Eared PoorwillNyctiphrynus mcleodii
Yucatan PoorwillNyctiphrynus yucatanicus
Spotted NightjarEurostopodus argus
White-throated NightjarEurostopodus mystacalis
Solomons NightjarEurostopodus nigripennis
New Caledonian NightjarEurostopodus exul
Satanic NightjarEurostopodus diabolicus
Papuan NightjarEurostopodus papuensis
Archbold's NightjarEurostopodus archboldi
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Lilian Tomazelli. ↗
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