| 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.
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]
They are found throughout much of Mexico, Central America, South America, and parts of the Caribbean. [4]
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]
| 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
| 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 |
Potoos are a group of birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. The family Nyctibiidae was formerly included with the nightjars in the order Caprimulgiformes but is now placed in a separate order, Nyctibiiformes. There are seven species in two genera in tropical Central and South America. Fossil evidence indicates that they also inhabited Europe during the Paleogene.
The common potoo, or poor-me-ones, or urutau is one of seven species of birds within the genus Nyctibius. It is notable for its large, yellow eyes and a wide mouth. Potoos are nocturnal and are related to nightjars and frogmouths. They lack the characteristic bristles around the mouths of true nightjars.
Nyctidromus is a genus of nightjars in the family Caprimulgidae. The species are widely distributed in Central and South America.
The hornero birds are members of the genus Furnarius in the family Furnariidae, native to South America. The English common name appears in many books as "ovenbird".
Caprimulgus is a large and very widespread genus of nightjars, medium-sized nocturnal birds with long pointed wings, short legs and short bills. Caprimulgus is derived from the Latin capra, "nanny goat", and mulgere, "to milk", referring to an old myth that nightjars suck milk from goats. The common name "nightjar", first recorded in 1630, refers to the nocturnal habits of the bird, the second part of the name deriving from the distinctive churring song.
The chuck-will's-widow is a nocturnal bird of the nightjar family Caprimulgidae. It is mostly found in the southeastern United States near swamps, rocky uplands, and pine woods. It migrates to the West Indies, Central America, and northwestern South America.
The great potoo or grand potoo is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America.
The eared nightjars are a small group of nocturnal birds in the nightjar family, although the taxonomy is uncertain. There are seven species, mainly found in forest and scrub from China to Australia. Five species are placed in the genus, Eurostopodus, the other two species in Lyncornis. They are long winged birds with plumage patterned with grey and brown to camouflage them when resting on the ground. They feed on insects caught in flight. A single white egg is laid directly on the ground and incubated by both adults. The chicks can walk soon after hatching.
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.
Hydropsalis is a genus of nightjars in the family Caprimulgidae. The species are widely distributed across the tropical and subtropical regions of the New World.
The scissor-tailed nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is distributed over much of eastern South America.
Lurocalis is a genus of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. The species are found in Central and South America.
The short-tailed nighthawk is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Mexico, in every Central American country except El Salvador, in Trinidad and Tobago, and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.
The rufous potoo is a species of bird in the family Nyctibiidae. It is the only member of the genus Phyllaemulor. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Suriname Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela.
The northern potoo is a nocturnal bird belonging to the potoo family, Nyctibiidae. It is found from Mexico south to Costa Rica, and on the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the common potoo but is now usually treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations.
Antrostomus is a genus of nightjars formerly included in the genus Caprimulgus. They are medium-sized nocturnal birds with long pointed wings, short legs and short bills.
Paraprefica is an extinct genus of potoo from the middle Eocene. Its fossil remains have been found in the Messel pit at Messel, Germany.
Strisores, sometimes called nightbirds, is a clade of birds that includes the living families and orders Caprimulgidae, Nyctibiidae (potoos), Steatornithidae (oilbirds), Podargidae (frogmouths), Apodiformes, as well as the Aegotheliformes (owlet-nightjars) whose distinctness was only recently realized. The Apodiformes and the Aegotheliformes form the Daedalornithes.
Lyncornis is a genus of eared nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae.
