NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Caatinga Puffbird
Nystalus maculatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
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.
Spot-backed Puffbird (Nystalus maculatus)
Macelo Costa · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The spot-backed puffbird (Nystalus maculatus) is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is found in South America from northeastern Brazil to northwestern Argentina. The spot-backed puffbird has sometimes been split into two species, the Caatinga puffbird and the Chaco puffbird.
Wikipedia contributors, Spot-backed puffbird; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:17:21.470121+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nystalus maculatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Common name
- Caatinga Puffbird
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Bucconidae
- Genus
- Nystalus
- 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.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPiciformes
- familyBucconidae
- genusNystalus Cabanis & Heine, 1863
- speciesNystalus maculatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nystalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-eared PuffbirdNystalus chacuru (Vieillot, 1816) | BucconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eastern Striolated PuffbirdNystalus striolatus (Pelzeln, 1856) | BucconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western Striolated PuffbirdNystalus obamai Whitney, Piacintini, Schunck, Alexio, Sousa, Silveira & Rego, 2013 | BucconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chaco PuffbirdNystalus striatipectus (P. L. Sclater, 1854) | BucconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Barred PuffbirdNystalus radiatus (P. L. Sclater, 1854) | BucconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Nystalus maculatus parvirostris (Hellmayr, 1908) (Hellmayr, 1908) | synonym |
| Nystalus maculatus maculatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
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.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554358 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:488NH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.