owlet frogmouth

owlet frogmouth

▪ bird genus
also called  Owlet Nightjar,  
 any of seven or eight species of shy and solitary night birds belonging to the genus Aegotheles and comprising the family Aegothelidae. They are closely related to frogmouths, in the order Caprimulgiformes. These inhabitants of forests resemble small owls with very wide mouths nearly hidden by long bristles; they also perch like owls but have tiny feet. They eat insects, which they catch either on the wing or by pouncing from a branch. Their call is a soft churring or whistling. They lay three to five eggs in a hole in a tree or sandbank.

      The best-known species is the owlet nightjar (A. cristatus)—in Australia often called the moth owl—22 cm (9 inches) long, gray above and brown below. Other species, 19–30 cm (7–12 inches) long, occur in New Guinea, New Caledonia, and the Moluccas.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Owlet-nightjar — Owlet nightjars Barred Owlet nightjar Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia …   Wikipedia

  • caprimulgiform — ▪ order of birds Introduction also called  nightjars    any of about 120 species of soft plumaged birds (bird), the major groups of which are called nightjars (nightjar), nighthawks (nighthawk), potoos (potoo), frogmouths (frogmouth), and owlet… …   Universalium

  • moth owl —       Australian bird, a species of owlet frogmouth (q.v.). * * * …   Universalium

  • Sibley-Monroe checklist 6 — The Sibley Monroe checklist was a landmark document in the study of birds. It drew on extensive DNA DNA hybridisation studies to reassess the relationships between modern birds.StrigiformesTytonidae* Tyto tenebricosa Greater Sooty Owl * Tyto… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Asian birds — This list of Asian birds is a listing of all the bird species known from the continent of Asia.NotesThe taxonomy of this list adheres to James Clements Birds of the World: A Checklist , and reflects all changes to that work until July, 2005.… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Papua New Guinea — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Papua New Guinea. The avifauna of Papua New Guinea includes a total of 781 species, of which 76 are endemic, one has been introduced by humans, and 18 are rare or accidental. 28 species are globally… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of India — This is a list of the bird species recorded in India. The avifauna of India includes a total of 1301 species, of which 42 are endemic, 1 has been introduced by humans, and 26 are rare or accidental. One species has been extirpated in India and 82 …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Burma — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Burma. The avifauna of Burma includes a total of 1062 species, of which 6 are endemic, 2 have been introduced by humans, and 10 are rare or accidental. 1 species listed is extirpated in Burma and is… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Queensland — Queensland is the second largest State in Australia but has the greatest biodiversity, with over 630 species of bird recorded (far more than closest rivals New South Wales or West Australia with both around 550) The sum total for continental… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Laos — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Laos. The avifauna of Laos includes a total of 701 species, of which 2 have been introduced by humans, and 8 are rare or accidental. 25 species are globally threatened.This list s taxonomic treatment …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”