Jamaican poorwill | |
---|---|
Illustration by George Edward Lodge, 1907 | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Clade: | Strisores |
Order: | Caprimulgiformes |
Family: | Caprimulgidae |
Genus: | Siphonorhis |
Species: | S. americana |
Binomial name | |
Siphonorhis americana | |
Synonyms [2] | |
|
The Jamaican poorwill (Siphonorhis americana), also known as the Jamaican pauraque or Jamaican least pauraque, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is (or was) endemic to Jamaica and has not been recorded since 1860. [3] [4]
The first formal description of the Jamaican poorwill was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Caprimulgus americanus. [5] [6] It was at one time considered conspecific with the only other living species in its genus, the least poorwill (Siphonorhis brewsteri). It is monotypic. [4] [3]
The Jamaican poorwill is known only from a very few specimens, the most recent of which was collected in the mid 1800s. It is 23 to 25 cm (9.1 to 9.8 in) long. The male's upperparts are rufous brown with blackish streaks. It has a faint rufous buff collar on the hindneck. The chin and upper throat are rufous, the lower throat clear white, the breast rufous with faint narrow brown barring, and the belly and flanks buff with brown bars and large whitish spots. The tail is mostly rufous brown with brown flecks and bars; all but the central feathers have white tips. The female is similar to the male, but somewhat less rufous overall; its underparts are more heavily spotted and the tips of the tail feathers are buffy. [4] It possessed distinct 2 mm long tubular nostrils that differentiated it from its relatives on the mainland. [7]
The few specimens of Jamaican poorwill from known localities were collected on the south side of the island. It was described as rare to locally uncommon during the first half of the 19th century. The habitats in Jamaica's south side included low elevation dry limestone forest, semi-open woodland, and open country. [4] [1]
The Jamaican poorwill is assumed to have been a nocturnal aerial insectivore like the least poorwill. [4]
The Jamaican poorwill is assumed to have laid its eggs on the ground without a nest like the least poorwill. [4]
The Jamaican poorwill's vocalizations were not described by the collectors. [4]
The IUCN has assessed the Jamaican poorwill as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct). The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and Clements taxonomy consider it definitely extinct. [1] [3] [8]
The pauraque – also called the common pauraque to distinguish it from similar species – is a nightjar species, one of two birds in the genus Nyctidromus. It breeds in the subtropical and tropical regions of the New World, and except for northernmost birds it is largely resident all year round.
The red-billed streamertail, also known as the doctor bird, scissor-tail or scissors tail hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Jamaica and is the national bird of the country.
The Jamaican mango is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is endemic to Jamaica.
The wine-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
The vervain hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found on Hispaniola and Jamaica.
The pale-tailed barbthroat is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found throughout much of the Amazon Basin from the eastern Andean foothills to the Atlantic Ocean.
The sooty barbthroat is a hummingbird species in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Brazil and French Guiana.
Anthony's nightjar, also known as the scrub nightjar, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
The rufous nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.
The eared poorwill is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to Mexico.
The least poorwill or least pauraque is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae, and the only confirmed extant species of its genus. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Jamaican lizard cuckoo is a species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Jamaica.
The sharp-billed canastero or lesser canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and has also occurred as a vagrant in Brazil.
The Orinoco softtail is a Vulnerable species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
The white-throated earthcreeper is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Chile and Peru.
The waved woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The pale-tailed canastero, is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The cryptic treehunter is or was a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. Its status, and even its existence as a species, are disputed. It is or was endemic to Brazil.
The Veracruz wren is a songbird of the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Mexico.
The fawn-throated foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.