The New Caledonian nightjar (''Eurostopodus exul'') is a poorly known species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

Description

It has silvery-grey plumage with dark blotches and streaks and a blackish crown and dark grey brown underparts with a small white throat patch.

Conservation

It is considered possibly extinct, as it is known only from the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

which was collected in 1939. The specimen was of a bird taken in coastal savanna. The possibility of decline in population was probably caused by predation by introduced cats and rats, alongside

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

References

New Caledonian nightjar Birds of New Caledonia Critically endangered fauna of Oceania New Caledonian nightjar {{caprimulgiformes-stub