Eurostopodus
Genus of birds
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eurostopodus is a genus of nightjars in the nightjar family Caprimulgidae. This genus is distinctive among the Old World nightjars in lacking long rictal bristles. It also shows some features that are not shared with Caprimulginae and Chordeilinae, like having a larger size or the variable presence of ear-tufts, juveniles showing rufous plumage, long incubation periods and brown-reds and black spotted eggs.[1]
| Eurostopodus | |
|---|---|
| |
| White-throated nightjar (Eurostopodus mystacalis) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family: | Caprimulgidae |
| Genus: | Eurostopodus Gould, 1838 |
| Type species | |
| Caprimulgus guttatus Vigors & Horsfield, 1827=Caprimulgus mystacalis Temminck, 1826 | |
| Species | |
|
7; see text | |
Taxonomy
The genus Eurostopodus was introduced in 1838 by the English ornithologist John Gould in his book A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and the Adjacent Islands. Gould listed two species in the genus but did not specify the type.[2] In 1840 George Gray designated the type as Caprimulgus guttatus Vigors & Horsfield, 1827.[3] This is a junior synonym of Caprimulgus mystacalis Temminck, 1826, the white-throated nightjar.[4] The genus name Eurostopodus is derived from the Ancient Greek ευρωστος/eurōstos meaning "strong" or "stout" and πους/pous, ποδος/podos meaning "foot".[5]
The following cladogram is based on a phylogenetic study by Jenna McCullough and collaborators published in 2025.[6]
| Eurostopodus |
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Species
The genus contains the following seven species:[7]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Eurostopodus argus | Spotted nightjar | mainland Australia, Indonesian islands |
| Eurostopodus mystacalis | White-throated nightjar | eastern Australia; Papua New Guinea |
| Eurostopodus nigripennis | Solomons nightjar | Solomon Islands archipelago | |
| Eurostopodus exul | New Caledonian nightjar | New Caledonia. Possibly extinct. | |
| Eurostopodus diabolicus | Satanic nightjar | Sulawesi | |
| Eurostopodus papuensis | Papuan nightjar | New Guinea | |
| Eurostopodus archboldi | Archbold's nightjar | New Guinea | |
