Owlet-nightjars (Aegothelidae) are 11 species of small nocturnal birds related to the swifts and hummingbirds. Most are native to New Guinea, but some species extend to Australia, the Moluccas, and New Caledonia. A New Zealand species is extinct.

Owlet-nightjars are insectivores which hunt mostly in the air but sometimes on the ground; their soft plumage is a crypic mixture of browns and paler shades, they have fairly small, weak feet and a tiny bill that opens extraordinarily wide, surrounded by prominent whiskers.