Nyctipolus


Nyctipolus is a genus of South American nightjars in the family Caprimulgidae.

Taxonomy

The genus Nyctipolus was introduced in 1912 by the American ornithologist Robert Ridgway with Caprimulgus nigrescens Cabanis, 1849, the blackish nightjar, as the type species. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek νυκτιπολος/nuktipolos meaning "roaming by night".
The genus contains the following two species.
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Nyctipolus nigrescensBlackish nightjarBrazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Nyctipolus hirundinaceusPygmy nightjarBrazil.