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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Satanic Nightjar

Eurostopodus diabolicus Stresemann, 1931

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

*Creator: William Stephens Publisher: iNaturalist Record license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ References: https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/64408683 Created: 2014-09-08T02:56:57.000+00:00 Rights holder: William Stephens Identifier: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/64408683/original.jpg?1585055111 Suggested attribution: Eurostopodus diabolicus Stresemann, 1931 observed in Indonesia by William Stephens (licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

*Creator: William Stephens Publisher: iNaturalist Record license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ References: https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/64408683 Created: 2014-09-08T02:56:57.000+00:00 Rights holder: William Stephens Identifier: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/64408683/original.jpg?1585055111 Suggested attribution: Eurostopodus diabolicus Stresemann, 1931 observed in Indonesia by William Stephens (licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

William Stephens · CC BY 4.0 · Image source

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Open encyclopedia reference

The Satanic nightjar (Eurostopodus diabolicus), also Heinrich's nightjar, satanic eared-nightjar, Sulawesi eared-nightjar, Satanic goatsucker or diabolical nightjar is a mid-sized, spotted, dark brown nightjar endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The species was discovered in 1931 by Gerd Heinrich, a German natural historian who collected a single female holotype from Mount Klabat on the Minahasa peninsula of Northern Sulawesi.

In the following decades, there were a few unconfirmed reports of sightings and calls of the bird, but it did not officially resurface until 1996 when David Bishop and Jared Diamond positively identified it in Lore Lindu National Park by its sound. This made the visible rediscovery available for multiple people in the tour group including poet and writer Jan Zwaaneveld. This increased the bird's estimated range by 750 km (470 mi). It has since been observed and described in literature multiple times.

Wikipedia contributors, Satanic nightjar; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:40:46.939307+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Eurostopodus diabolicus Stresemann, 1931
Name authority
Stresemann, 1931
Common name
Satanic Nightjar
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Caprimulgiformes
Family
Caprimulgidae
Genus
Eurostopodus
Extinction status
Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classAves
  9. orderCaprimulgiformes
  10. familyCaprimulgidae
  11. genusEurostopodus Gould, 1838
  12. speciesEurostopodus diabolicus Stresemann, 1931

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Eurostopodus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Spotted NightjarEurostopodus argus Hartert, 1892CaprimulgidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
New Caledonian NightjarEurostopodus exul Mayr, 1941CaprimulgidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
White-throated NightjarEurostopodus mystacalis (Temminck, 1826)CaprimulgidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Archbold's NightjarEurostopodus archboldi (Mayr & Rand, 1935)CaprimulgidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Solomons NightjarEurostopodus nigripennis E. P. Ramsay, 1882CaprimulgidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Papuan NightjarEurostopodus papuensis (Schlegel, 1866)CaprimulgidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 56 records assigned to Caprimulgidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Australia

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=555533 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:3D2H4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.