Subspecies Caprimulgus macrurus schlegelii Meyer, 1874

Museums

Regional Maps

• Caprimulgus schlegelii Meyer, A.B. 1874. Über neue und ungenügend bekannte Vögel von Neu-Guinea und den Inseln der Geelvinksbai (Zweite Mittheilung). Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien 69: 202-218 [210] [first published as nom. nud. by Gray, G.R. 1869. Hand-list of Genera and Species of Birds, distinguishing those contained in the British Museum. London : British Museum Vol. 1 xx 404 pp.; for availability of name under ICZN Art. 12(b)(1, 7), and its typification by Gould material from Port Essington, see Mees, G.F. 1977. Geographical variation of Caprimulgus macrurus Horsfield (Aves: Caprimulgidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen 155: 1–47 pls 1–3; other Gould material from Port Essington taken before 1845 is also syntypic].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) ANSP ♂ ♀ (no. unspecified, ex Gould coll.), Port Essington, Cobourg Peninsula, NT (published without locality)
  Comment: male and female syntypes figured on pl. 9 in Gould, J. 1848. The Birds of Australia. London : J. Gould Vol. 2 104 pls pp. [Pt 17, Dec. 1844], and probably held by ANSP, see Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1957. On some avian types, principally Gould's, in the collection of the Academy. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 109: 123–246.

  Type locality references:

  Gould, J. 1848. The Birds of Australia. London : J. Gould Vol. 2(17) 104 pls.; Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1957. On some avian types, principally Gould's, in the collection of the Academy. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 109: 123-246.

  Secondary source:

   Mees, G.F. 1977. Geographical variation of Caprimulgus macrurus Horsfield (Aves: Caprimulgidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 155: 1-47 pls 1-3.
• Caprimulgus macrurus yorki Mathews, G.M. 1912. A Reference-List to the Birds of Australia. Novitates Zoologicae 18: 171-455 [Date published 31 Jan 1912] [291].

  Type data:

   Holotype AMNH 632939 ♂ (G.M. Mathews' coll. no. 1361), Cape York, QLD (probably Chester River)
  Comment: for identification of holotype and type locality, see Greenway, J.C. 1978. Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Pt 2. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 161: 1–306.
• Caprimulgus macrurus keatsi Mathews, G.M. 1912. A Reference-List to the Birds of Australia. Novitates Zoologicae 18: 171-455 [Date published 31 Jan 1912] [291].

  Type data:

   Holotype AMNH 632935 ♂ (G.M. Mathews' coll. no. 1359), Port Keats, NT (as Point Keats)
  Comment: for identification of holotype and type locality, see Greenway, J.C. 1978. Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Pt 2. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 161: 1–306.
• Rossornis macrurus coincidens Mathews, G.M. 1918. The Birds of Australia. London : Witherby & Co. Vol. 7 pt 3 pp. 217-320 pls 343-351. [Date published 26 Aug. 1918: volume dated as 1918–1919] [241] [based on four specimens presumably in AMNH, only two of which are recorded by Greenway, J.C. 1978. Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Pt 2. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 161: 1–306].

  Type data:

   
  Syntype(s) AMNH 632958 ♂ (G.M. Mathews' coll. no. 1363), Cairns, QLD; AMNH 632959 ♀ (G.M. Mathews' coll. no. unspecified), Cairns, QLD; AMNH (institution uncertain, no. unspecified, ex G.M. Mathews' coll.), Cairns, QLD; AMNH (institution uncertain, no. unspecified, ex G.M. Mathews' coll.), Cairns, QLD.
• Rossornis macrurus rogersi Mathews, G.M. 1918. The Birds of Australia. London : Witherby & Co. Vol. 7 pts i-iv xii pp. 1-384 pls 325-362. [Date published 4 Mar. 1918: volume publication dated as 1918–1919; Publication of Pt 1 (4 Mar. 1918), Pt 2 (15 May 1918), Pt 3 (26 Aug.), Pt 4 (19 Dec 1918), Pt 5 (12 June 1919)] [242] [based on five specimens presumably in AMNH, only four of which are recorded by Greenway, J.C. 1978. Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Pt 2. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 161: 1–306; one syntype (evidently AMNH 632956) figured on pl. 345 and described in detail on pp. 236–237 in Mathews, G.M. 1918. The Birds of Australia. London : Witherby & Co. Vol. 7 pt 3 pp. 217–320 pls 343–351 [26 Aug. 1918, volume dated as 1918–1919]—chosen here as lectotype].

  Type data:

   Holotype AMNH 632956 ♂ (G.M. Mathews' coll. no. unspecified), southeast of Gordon Point, Melville Is., NT (as Melville Island).
  Paratype(s) AMNH 632951 ♂ (G.M. Mathews' coll. no. unspecified); AMNH 632953 juv. (G.M. Mathews' coll. no. unspecified); AMNH 632954 juv. (G.M. Mathews' coll. no. unspecified).

  Type locality references:

  Schodde, R. in Schodde, R. & Mason, I.J. 1997. Aves (Columbidae to Coraciidae). In, Houston, W.W.K. & Wells, A. (eds). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing, Australia Vol. 37.2 xiii 440 pp. [329] (from locality on lectotype, see Greenway, J.C. 1978. Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Pt 2. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 161: 1–306).

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Mees, G.F. 1977. Geographical variation of Caprimulgus macrurus Horsfield (Aves: Caprimulgidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 155: 1-47 pls 1-3 [26] (as modified by Mees, G.F. 1985. Caprimulgus macrurus Horsfield and related forms, a re-evaluation (Aves, Caprimulgidae). Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie Wetenschappen C 88: 419–428)

 

Distribution

States

Northern Territory, Queensland

Extra Distribution Information

NE Australia, New Guinea and surrounding islands, New Britain, Moluccas, Tanimbar and Lesser Sunda Is., and islands of Flores Sea; coastal Arnhem Land between Port Keats and Rose River, including Melville-Bathurst Ils and Groote Eylandt, NT, south-west islands in Torres Strait, and coastal Cape York Peninsula and E QLD south to the Norman River on west coast and on east coast as far as the Mary River and Fraser Is.—also Papuasia to Lesser Sundas.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones

IBRA

NT, Qld: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Arnhem (CA), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Gulf Fall and Uplands (GFU), Gulf Coastal (GUC), Gulf Plains (GUP), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), NSW North Coast (NNC), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Wet Tropics (WT)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

• Australia
  • Northern Territory: N Gulf
  • Queensland: N Gulf, NE coastal
• Indonesia
  • Aru Islands
  • Irian Jaya
• Papua New Guinea

Ecological Descriptors

Aerial, arthropod-feeder, closed forest, mangrove, nocturnal, nomadic, resident, tall forest, terrestrial, territorial, volant.

Extra Ecological Information

Randomly dispersed, seasonal breeder, sexually dimorphic, feeds on wing at night in twisting and turning evolutions on stiffly-held, jerked wings, roosts on ground by day in leaf litter, calls from low perches, lays two pink-buff ellipsoid eggs marbled with clouded grey vermiculations on ground litter, hatchlings buff-downed and immatures plumaged as adults.

 

General References

Barnard, H.G. 1935. Notes on the Large-tailed Nightjar. The Emu 34: 176-177 (voice, behaviour, nidification)

Cleland, J.B. 1918. The food of Australian birds. An investigation into the character of the stomach and crop contents. N.S.W. Dept. Agri. Sci. Bull. No. 15 112 pp. (diet)

Marshall, A.J. 1934. Notes on the Large-tailed Nightjar. The Emu 33: 219-221 (voice, behaviour)

McLean, J.A. 1983. Notes on the nesting of the Large-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus. Sunbird 13: 72-73 (nidification)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
		12-Feb-2010	(import)