New Caledonian Nightjar Eurostopodus exul Scientific name definitions

26 cm. 77 g. Wing of female 184 mm (1 Holyoak, D. T. (2001). Nightjars and Their Allies: The Caprimulgiformes. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). A pale silvery-grey nightjar with fairly sparse blackish brown blotches and streaks above. Crown blackish. Wing-coverts greyish brown, speckled brown and broadly spotted whitish buff. Scapulars greyish brown on inner webs, greyish white on outer webs, broadly streaked blackish brown in the centre. Shows similar wing markings to E. nigripennis. Lacks nuchal collar. Breast brown, frosted greyish white and greyish brown.  Has a small white throat patch.

Until recently considered conspecific with E. mystacalis and E. nigripennis but differs from the latter in its notably short wing (at least 2), much stonier-white upperparts (3), clearer, broader and more unified black on central crown (at least 1), and minimal rufous hindcollar (although some nigripennis show relatively little rufous) (1); but known only from a single specimen. Monotypic.

New Caledonia. Probably extinct (2 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

The sole known specimen was collected in coastal savanna vegetation at Tao (3 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (POSSIBLY EXTINCT). Restricted-range species: present in New Caledonia EBA. Known only from the type-specimen, collected in August 1939 on coastal plains near Mt Panie (3 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Intensive surveys in 1998 failed to find the species (4 Ekstrom, J. M. M., J. P. G. Jones, J. Willis, J. Tobias, G. C. L. Dutson, and N. Barré (2002). New information on the distribution, status and conservation of terrestrial bird species in Grande Terre, New Caledonia. Emu 102(2):197–207. Close ).