NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar
Caprimulgus donaldsoni Sharpe, 1895
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
Donaldson Smith's nightjar (Caprimulgus donaldsoni) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. It was named in honor of the 19th-century American explorer Arthur Donaldson Smith.
Wikipedia contributors, Donaldson Smith's nightjar; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:03:27.760358+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Caprimulgus donaldsoni Sharpe, 1895
- Name authority
- Sharpe, 1895
- Common name
- Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Caprimulgidae
- Genus
- Caprimulgus
- 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
- orderCaprimulgiformes
- familyCaprimulgidae
- genusCaprimulgus Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesCaprimulgus donaldsoni Sharpe, 1895
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Caprimulgus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian NightjarCaprimulgus aegyptius M. H. K. Lichtenstein, 1823 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jerdon's NightjarCaprimulgus atripennis Jerdon, 1845 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Slender-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus clarus Reichenow, 1892 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Long-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus climacurus Vieillot, 1824 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bonaparte's NightjarCaprimulgus concretus Bonaparte, 1850 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grey NightjarCaprimulgus indicus Latham, 1790 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grey NightjarCaprimulgus jotaka Temminck & Schlegel, 1845 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Large-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus macrurus Horsfield, 1821 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sykes's NightjarCaprimulgus mahrattensis Sykes, 1832 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Swamp NightjarCaprimulgus natalensis A. Smith, 1845 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Palau NightjarCaprimulgus phalaena Hartlaub & Finsch, 1872 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Montane NightjarCaprimulgus poliocephalus Rüppell, 1840 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
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=555582 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:5WXB5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.