Old World Nightjars
Caprimulgus
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.
39 branches of this genus, most-observed first · about 39 known species
Eurasian Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus europaeus
Savanna Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus affinis
Large-tailed Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus macrurus
Indian Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus asiaticus
Fiery-necked Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus pectoralis
Gray Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus jotaka
Red-necked Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus ruficollis
Square-tailed Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus fossii
Jungle Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus indicus
Madagascar Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus madagascariensis
Long-tailed Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus climacurus
Jerdon's Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus atripennis
Egyptian Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus aegyptius
Rufous-cheeked Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus rufigena
Freckled Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus tristigma
Pennant-winged Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus vexillarius
Slender-tailed Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus clarus
Standard-winged Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus longipennis
Swamp Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus natalensis
Plain Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus inornatus
Montane Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus poliocephalus
Sykes's Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus mahrattensis
Philippine Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus manillensis
Nubian Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus nubicus
Andaman Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus andamanicus
Bates's Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus batesi
Bonaparte's Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus concretus
Donaldson Smith's Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus donaldsoni
Salvadori's Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus pulchellus
Sombre Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus fraenatus
Sulawesi Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus celebensis
Golden Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus eximius
Chirruping Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus griseatus
Star-spotted Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus stellatus
Mees's Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus meesi
Timor Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus ritae
Palau Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus phalaena
Itombwe Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus prigoginei
Nechisar Nightjar
speciesCaprimulgus solala
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
François Bouchard — Recueil de cent-trente-trois oiseaux des plus belles especes (1775)
François Bouchard · 1775 · p.113
Ortus sanitatis
1491 · p.618
The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1
Mark Catesby · 1777 · p.41
Ornithology: The History of Birds
Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1599 · p.600
Ornithology
Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1599 · p.603
Ornithology
Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1599 · p.604
Ornithologiae: de avibus historiae libri XII
Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1599 · p.588
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Caprimulgus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 19377.