Avibase: Caprimulgus poliocephalus (Montane Nightjar)

Montane Nightjar

Caprimulgus poliocephalus Rüppell, WPES 1840

The montane nightjar, mountain nightjar or Abyssinian nightjar, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is native to upland regions of Central and Eastern Africa where it is a locally common species. Source: Wikipedia

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Classification

Order:
  Caprimulgiformes
Family:
  Caprimulgidae
Genus:
   Caprimulgus
Scientific:
  Caprimulgus poliocephalus

Original description

Citation:
Rüppell, WPES 1840

Reference:
Neue Wirbelth. Fauna Abyss. Vög.

Protonym:
Caprimulgus poliocephalus

Type locality:
Kulla, Ethiopia.

Link:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/114234#page/186/mode/1up

Avibase identifiers

Avibase ID:
FB96690D625A7515

Avibase ID:
avibase-FB96690D

Short link:
https://avibase.ca/FB96690D

Taxonomic Serial Number:
TSN: 555586

Geographic range:

Caprimulgus poliocephalus: very patchy in foothill to montane forest, pine and juniper woodland, bamboo, grassland, and open scrubland, from southwestern Arabian Peninsula, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, southward through East Africa to northeastern Zambia and Malawi, and western Angola
Caprimulgus poliocephalus poliocephalus: southwestern Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia, northeastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania
Caprimulgus poliocephalus ruwenzorii: eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to southwestern Uganda
Caprimulgus poliocephalus guttifer: southwestern Tanzania to northern Malawi, northeastern Zambia; isolated population northeastern Tanzania
Caprimulgus poliocephalus koesteri: western Angola
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Source: Clements checklist

English:
Abyssinian Nightjar
Afrikaans:
Bergnaguil
Azerbaijani:
Bozbaş keçisağan
Bulgarian:
Абисински козодой
Catalan:
Enganyapastors d'Etiòpia
Czech:
lelek etiopský
Danish:
Etiopisk Natravn
German:
Höhennachtschwalbe
Greek:
Βoυvoγιδoβύζι
Esperanto:
abisinia kaprimulgo
Spanish:
Chotacabras montano
Spanish (Spain):
Chotacabras montano
Estonian:
mägi-öösorr
Finnish:
abessiniankehrääjä
French:
Engoulevent d'Abyssinie
Croatian:
planinski leganj
Hungarian:
szürkefejű lappantyú
Italian:
Succiacapre d'Abissinia
Japanese (romaji):
abishiniayotaka
Japanese:
アビシニアヨタカ
Lithuanian:
Abisininis lėlys
Latvian:
Abesīnijas vakarlēpis
Dutch:
Ethiopische Nachtzwaluw
Norwegian:
Fjellnattravn
Polish:
lelek górski
Portuguese:
noitibó-montes
Portuguese (Portugal):
noitibó-da-montanha
Romanian:
Caprimulg de Abisinia
Russian:
Абиссинский козодой
Slovak:
lelek horský
Slovenian:
Abesinska podhujka
Serbian:
Abisinski leganj
Swedish:
bergnattskärra
Turkish:
Dağ Çobanaldatanı
Ukrainian:
Дрімлюга гірський
Chinese:
灰头夜鹰
Chinese (Traditional):
灰頭山夜鷹

Authorities recognizing this taxonomic concept:

Avibase taxonomic concepts (current): Abyssinian Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2023 (May 2023): Abyssinian Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2024 (Oct 2024): Abyssinian Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2025 (Nov 2025): Abyssinian Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 01 (August 2013): Abyssinian or Ruwenzori Nightjar ( Caprimulgus [poliocephalus or ruwenzorii])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 02 (May 2014): Abyssinian or Ruwenzori Nightjar ( Caprimulgus [poliocephalus or ruwenzorii])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 03 (March 2015): Abyssinian or Ruwenzori Nightjar ( Caprimulgus [poliocephalus or ruwenzorii])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 04 (Aug 2016): Abyssinian or Ruwenzori Nightjar ( Caprimulgus [poliocephalus or ruwenzorii])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 05 (Jan 2017): Abyssinian or Ruwenzori Nightjar ( Caprimulgus [poliocephalus or ruwenzorii])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 06 (Feb 2018): Abyssinian or Ruwenzori Nightjar ( Caprimulgus [poliocephalus or ruwenzorii])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 07 (Feb 2020): Abyssinian or Ruwenzori Nightjar ( Caprimulgus [poliocephalus or ruwenzorii])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 08 (Feb 2021): Abyssinian or Ruwenzori Nightjar ( Caprimulgus [poliocephalus or ruwenzorii])
Avilist 2025: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Birdlife checklist version 07 (Jul 2014): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Birdlife checklist version 08 (Oct 2015): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Birdlife checklist version 09 (Dec 2016): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Birdlife checklist version 09.1 (Jun 2017): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v2 (Dec 2017): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v3 (Nov 2018): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v4 (Dec 2019): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v5 (Dec 2020): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v6 (Dec 2021): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v6b (Jul 2022): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v7 (Dec 2022): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v8 (Dec 2023): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v9 (Oct 2024): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v10 (Oct 2025): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Clements, version 2022: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Clements, version 2023: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Clements, version 2024: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Clements, version 2025: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Clements 3rd edition: Abyssinian Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
eBird version 2022: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
eBird version 2023: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
eBird version 2024: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
eBird version 2025: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Howard and Moore 4th edition (vol. 1-2): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Howard and Moore 4th edition (incl. corrigenda vol.1-2): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (31/01/2015): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (03/07/2017): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Handbook of the Birds of the World and Birdlife (Dec 2017): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Handbook of the Birds of the World and Birdlife (Dec 2018): Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 8.1: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 8.2: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 9.1: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 9.2: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 10.1: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 10.2: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 11.1: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 11.2: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 12.1: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 12.2: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 13.1: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 13.2: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 14.1: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 14.2: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 15.1: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 15.2: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Morony, Bock and Farrand: Abyssinian Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]
Peters' Check-list of the Birds: Caprimulgus poliocephalus [version 1]
Peters' Check-list of the Birds (original): Caprimulgus poliocephalus [version 1]
Peters' Check-list of the Birds (2nd edition): Caprimulgus poliocephalus [version 1]
Sibley and Monroe, Birds of the World Version 2.0: Montane Nightjar ( Caprimulgus poliocephalus) [version 1]

Taxonomic status:

Species status: full species

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Related taxa

Alternative arrangements: 1 2

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Other synonyms