Class Aves Family Caprimulgidae Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Order Caprimulgiformes | |
Similar Hispaniolan nightjar, Cayenne nightjar, Prigogine's nightjar, Andaman nightjar, Roraiman nightjar | ||
The New Caledonian nightjar (Eurostopodus exul) is a poorly known species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to New Caledonia.
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.
It is considered possibly extinct, as it is known only from the holotype 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.
References
New Caledonian nightjar Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA