Bird genera ''Nyctibius'' is a genus of potoos,

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

birds in the family Nyctibiidae.

Etymology

The genus ''Nyctibius'' was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot to accommodate a single species, Comte de Buffon's "Le Grande Engoulevent de Cayenne", the

great potoo The great potoo (''Nyctibius grandis'') is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America. Much like owls, this species is nocturnal. It preys on large insects and small vertebrates, which it captures in sallies ...

, which thus becomes the type species. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''nuktibios'' meaning "night-feeding", from ''nux'' night and ''bios'' "life".

Distribution

They are found throughout much of Mexico, Central America, South America, and parts of the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

Taxonomy

They are one of two genera in the family, the other being the monotypic genus '' Phyllaemulor'' (containing only the

rufous potoo The rufous potoo (''Phyllaemulor bracteatus'') is a species of bird in the family Nyctibiidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Phyllaemulor''. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Suriname Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela.Re ...

). 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. This was followed by the

International Ornithological Congress International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

in 2022. The genus ''Nyctibius'' contains six species:

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q858186 Taxa named by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot