The
Australian owlet-nightjar (
Aegotheles cristatus) is a
nocturnal bird found in open woodland across Australia and in southern
New Guinea. Despite not being an owl, it is colloquially known as the moth owl, and is the most common nocturnal bird in Australia; despite suffering from predation and competition by
introduced species, it is not considered to be threatened. This Australian owlet-nightjar was photographed in a nesting hollow in
Castlereagh Nature Reserve, New South Wales.
Photograph credit: John Harrison