Nyctibius

Nyctibius
Common potoo (N. griseus)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Strisores
Order:	Nyctibiiformes
Family:	Nyctibiidae
Subfamily:	Nyctibiinae
Genus:	Nyctibius Vieillot, 1816
Type species
Caprimulgus grandis (great potoo) Gmelin, JF, 1789
Species
See text

Nyctibius is a genus of potoos, nocturnal birds in the family Nyctibiidae.

Etymology

The genus Nyctibius was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot to accommodate a single species, Comte de Buffon's "Le Grande Engoulevent de Cayenne", the great potoo, which thus becomes the type species. ^{[1] [2]} The genus name is from Ancient Greek nuktibios meaning "night-feeding", from nux night and bios "life". ^[3]

Distribution

They are found throughout much of Mexico, Central America, South America, and parts of the Caribbean. ^[4]

Taxonomy

They are one of two genera in the family, the other being the monotypic genus Phyllaemulor (containing only the rufous potoo). Prior to 2018, they were considered the only extant genus within the Nyctibiidae; however, a study that year found a deep divergence between the rufous potoo and all other species in the genus, leading it to be described in a new genus and expanding the number of genera within the family. ^[5] This was followed by the International Ornithological Congress in 2022. ^[6] The genus Nyctibius contains six species: ^[4]

Genus Nyctibius – Vieillot, 1816 – six species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Great potoo	Nyctibius grandis (Gmelin, 1789)	southern Mexico through northeastern Guatemala and through most of Central America down through South America as far as southeastern Brazil and Bolivia.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Long-tailed potoo	Nyctibius aethereus (Wied-Neuwied, 1820)	from Ecuador and Peru east through southern Colombia and Venezuela to the Guianas, in far northern Bolivia, northeastern Argentina, southeastern Paraguay, and southeastern Brazil	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Northern potoo	Nyctibius jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1789)	across Central America and the Caribbean.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Common potoo or lesser potoo	Nyctibius griseus (Gmelin, 1789) Two subspecies N. g. panamensis Ridgway, 1912 N. g. griseus(Gmelin, JF, 1789)	Caribbean plain of Colombia	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Andean potoo	Nyctibius maculosus Ridgway, 1912	Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
White-winged potoo	Nyctibius leucopterus (zu Wied-Neuwied, 1821)	Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC

References

1. Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1816). Analyse d'une Nouvelle Ornithologie Élémentaire (in French). Paris: Deterville/self. p. 38.
2. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1940). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 179.
3. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 277. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2022). "Frogmouths, Oilbird, potoos, nightjars". IOC World Bird List Version 12.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
5. Costa, Thiago V. V.; Whitney, Bret M.; Braun, Michael J.; White, Noor D.; Silveira, Luís Fábio; Cleere, Nigel (2018-04-01). "A systematic reappraisal of the Rufous Potoo Nyctibius bracteatus (Nyctibiidae) and description of a new genus" . Journal of Ornithology. 159 (2): 367–377. Bibcode:2018JOrni.159..367C. doi:10.1007/s10336-017-1511-2. ISSN   2193-7206. S2CID   4524359.
6. "Nightjars, Oilbird, potoos, frogmouths – IOC World Bird List" . Retrieved 2022-08-25.