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Chordeiles

Chordeiles
Common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Caprimulgiformes
Family: Caprimulgidae
Genus: Chordeiles
Swainson, 1832
Type species
Caprimulgus virginianus Gmelin, JF, 1789=Camprimulgus minor Forster, JR, 1771
Synonyms

Podager

Chordeiles is a New World genus of nighthawks in the nightjar family Caprimulgidae.

Taxonomy

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The genus Chordeiles was introduced in 1832 by the English zoologist William Swainson with Caprimulgus virginianus Gmelin, JF, 1789, as the type species.[1] This is a junior synonym of Camprimulgus minor Forster, JR, 1771, the common nighthawk.[2] The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek χορδη/khordē meaning "chord" and δειλη/deilē meaning "evening".[3]

The genus contains the following six species:[4]

Image Scientific name Common name Distribution
Chordeiles pusillus Least nighthawk northern South America
Chordeiles rupestris Sand-coloured nighthawk Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
Chordeiles minor Common nighthawk South America to northern North America.
Chordeiles acutipennis Lesser nighthawk United States through South America
Chordeiles gundlachii Antillean nighthawk the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas and the Florida Keys in the United States.
Chordeiles nacunda Nacunda nighthawk Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela

References

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  1. ^ Swainson, William; Richardson, J. (1831). Fauna Boreali-Americana, or, The Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America. Vol. 2: The Birds. London: J. Murray (published 1832). p. 496. The title page bears the year 1831 but the volume was not published until 1832. See: Browning, M. Ralph; Monroe, Burt L. (1991). "Clarifications and corrections of the dates of issue of some publications containing descriptions of North American birds". Archives of Natural History. 18 (3): 381-405 [392]. doi:10.3366/anh.1991.18.3.381.
  2. ^ Dickinson, E.C.; Remsen, J.V. Jr., eds. (2013). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1: Non-passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-9568611-0-8.
  3. ^ Jobling, James A. "Chordeiles". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  4. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Frogmouths, Oilbird, potoos, nightjars". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 22 June 2025.


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