Archbold's Owlet-nightjar

Archbold's Owlet-nightjar, Aegotheles archboldi is a species of owlet-nightjar found in New Guinea. It was formerly a subspecies of the Mountain Owlet-nightjar, and is a sister species, replacing it at higher elevations.

Other names
Eastern Mountain Owlet-nightjar.

Description
Length is 18 - 20 cm long. Weight is 29 - 35 g.

Not safely identifiable from the Mountain Owlet-nightjar, from which even some well-made skins appear inseparable when series are compared under ideal conditions in a museum.

Small, dark, heavily spotted owlet-nightjar with a buff lateral crown stripes and white collar around hind-neck. Lacks white markings in wings and tail. Sexes similar ; immatures and juveniles similar to adults.

Differs mainly from Mountain Owlet-nightjar in richer coloration of upperparts, with coarser dark barring (as opposed to vermiculations) and coarser white spots, and in underparts averaging darker, more richly coloured and more heavily marked.

Identification is even further complicated as both species have a rufous morph and a brown morph, connected by intermediates.

Similar species
Mountain Owlet-nightjar is generally less boldly spotted whitish.

Diet
Unknown, other than a specimen having small insects in its stomach contents.

Calls
Not described.

Reproduction
Not data; eggs and downy chick not described.

Distribution/habitat
Central West Papua and West-central Papua New Guinea. Sedentary, but information scanty.

Although species is known only from four small regions, it was apparently plentiful in some of them during the period from 1940s to 1960s, and extensive montane forests still remain there, and henceforth, unlikely to be threatened in the immediate future.

Habitat is montane forests from 2000 - 3600 m, reports from lower elevations may result from natives carry specimens down from higher ground. Probably lives at subalpine thickets at the upper limit of its range.