The Australian owlet-nightjar is a nocturnal bird found in open woodland across Australia and in southern New Guinea. It is colloquially known as the moth owl. It is the most common nocturnal bird in Australia. Despite suffering from predation and competition by introduced species it is not considered threatened.
Region
Australia and southern New Guinea
Typical Environment
Occurs across most of mainland Australia, from arid interior scrub to temperate woodlands and coastal heaths, and extends into southern New Guinea. Favors open eucalypt woodland, mallee, mulga, savanna, and even urban parks with suitable roost cavities. By day it conceals itself in tree hollows, termite mounds, or rocky crevices, emerging at dusk to feed along edges and clearings. It adapts well to fragmented habitats as long as roost sites remain available.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Other
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the moth owl, the Australian owlet-nightjar is the most common nocturnal bird in Australia. It roosts by day in tree hollows or rock crevices and becomes active at dusk to hunt flying insects. It uses a wide gape and whisker-like bristles to snatch moths and beetles on the wing. Despite pressures from habitat change and introduced predators, it remains widespread and not considered threatened.
Australian owlet-nightjar mainly nests in tree hollows.
Temperament
secretive and crepuscular-nocturnal
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile, erratic sallies
Social Behavior
Mostly solitary or in pairs, especially during the breeding season. Nests in natural tree hollows or cavities, often reusing favored sites. Clutch size is small, and both parents participate in incubation and care. Roost fidelity is high, with birds returning to the same shelter by day.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Calls include a soft, repetitive trilling or churring series and clearer whistled notes, often given at dusk and during calm nights. Contact calls can be sharp ticks or chirps, carrying well through open woodland.
Plumage
Compact nightjar with finely streaked and mottled plumage; upperparts grey-brown to rufous with speckling, underparts paler with fine barring. Facial disk is subtle but owl-like, with filamentous bristles around the gape. Tail relatively long with faint bars.
Diet
Primarily consumes flying insects such as moths, beetles, and grasshoppers; will also take spiders and other small arthropods. Hunts by sallying from a perch, catching prey in short, agile flights. Sometimes gleans insects from foliage, bark, or the ground near cover.
Preferred Environment
Forages along woodland edges, open clearings, and near lights that attract insects. Often hunts close to its daytime roost, especially around tree hollows and rocky outcrops.
