Nyctibius is a genus of potoos, nocturnal birds in the family Nyctibiidae. They are found in Mexico, Central and South America.
| Nyctibius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Common potoo (N. griseus) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| 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 | |
Taxonomy
editThe genus Nyctibius was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot to accommodate a single species, Comte de Buffon's "Le Grand 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 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.[4] This was followed by the International Ornithological Congress in 2022.[5]
Distribution
editThey are found throughout much of Mexico, Central America, South America, and parts of the Caribbean.[6]
Species
editThe genus Nyctibius contains six species:[7]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Great potoo | Nyctibius grandis |  |
 | Long-tailed potoo | Nyctibius aethereus |  |
.JPG) | Common potoo | Nyctibius griseus |  |
 | Northern potoo | Nyctibius jamaicensis |  |
_(9496853499)_1.jpg) | Andean potoo | Nyctibius maculosus |  |
.jpg) | White-winged potoo | Nyctibius leucopterus |  |
References
edit- ↑ Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1816). Analyse d'une Nouvelle Ornithologie Élémentaire (in French). Paris: Deterville/self. p. 38.
- ↑ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1940). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 179.
- ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 277. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Nightjars, Oilbird, potoos, frogmouths – IOC World Bird List". Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 20 April 2026.