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Nyctibius

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Nyctibius
Common potoo (N. griseus)
Scientific classification Edit this 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)
Species

See text

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

Etymology

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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

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

Taxonomy

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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.
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 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
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 LC 


Northern potoo

Nyctibius jamaicensis
(Gmelin, 1789)
across Central America and the Caribbean.
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 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
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 LC 


Andean potoo

Nyctibius maculosus
Ridgway, 1912
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
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 LC 


White-winged potoo

Nyctibius leucopterus
(zu Wied-Neuwied, 1821)
Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela
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 LC 


References

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  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. ^ a b 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.