Lurocalis


Lurocalis is a genus of nightjars in the family Caprimulgidae. The species are found in Central and South America.

Taxonomy

The genus Lurocalis was introduced in 1851 by the American ornithologist John Cassin. The type species was designated as Caprimulgus nattereri Temminck, 1822, by George Robert Gray in 1855. This taxon is now considered as a subspecies of the short-tailed nighthawk. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek oura meaning "tail" with kolos meaning "stunted".
The genus contains two species.
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Lurocalis rufiventris Taczanowski, 1884Rufous-bellied nighthawkBolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
Lurocalis semitorquatus Short-tailed nighthawkArgentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.