NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Puerto Rican Nightjar
Antrostomus noctitherus (Wetmore, 1919)
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.
A Puerto Rican Nightjar in Puerto Rico.
Mike Morel of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region · CC BY 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Puerto Rican nightjar, Puerto Rican whip-poor-will or guabairo (Antrostomus noctitherus) is a bird in the nightjar family found in the coastal dry scrub forests in localized areas of southwestern Puerto Rico. It was described in 1916 from bones found in a cave in north central Puerto Rico and a single skin specimen from 1888, and was considered extinct until observed in the wild in 1961. The current population is estimated as 1,400-2,000 mature birds, which is presumed to be a stable size for this species; therefore, even though it faces pressures from habitat loss it is currently classified as Vulnerable.
Wikipedia contributors, Puerto Rican nightjar; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:28:57.685146+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Antrostomus noctitherus (Wetmore, 1919)
- Name authority
- (Wetmore, 1919)
- Common name
- Puerto Rican Nightjar
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Caprimulgidae
- Genus
- Antrostomus
- 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
- genusAntrostomus Bonaparte, 1838
- speciesAntrostomus noctitherus (Wetmore, 1919)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Antrostomus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Yucatan NightjarAntrostomus badius Bangs & Peck, 1908 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tawny-collared NightjarAntrostomus salvini (Hartert, 1892) | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Silky-tailed NightjarAntrostomus sericocaudatus Cassin, 1849 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dusky NightjarAntrostomus saturatus Salvin, 1870 | CaprimulgidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Setochalcis noctitherus Wetmore, 1919 Wetmore, 1919 | synonym |
| Caprimulgus noctitherus (Wetmore, 1919) (Wetmore, 1919) | 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=1077360 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:F4N4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.