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May form superspecies with Chuck-will's-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis), with which has even been considered conspecific, but differs notably in both voice and morphology. Subspecies otiosus has been considered a distinct species, on the basis of supposed sympatric breeding in northern Venezuela. However, presence of this subspecies in Venezuela now seems rather unlikely, as the relevant specimens were in poor condition and anyway do not appear to have matched otiosus well. Also, differences from other subspecies in vocalizations and plumage are minimal and do not appear to justify this split. Subspecies minimus has also been considered a separate species, but again differences appear insufficient. Subspecies saltarius initially thought to belong to Silky-tailed Nightjar (Antrostomus sericocaudatus); subsequently found to be closer to present species, but thought to occur sympatrically with rutilus and so raised to full species status. However, voice and morphometrics convincingly show it to belong within present species, where it is sometimes synonymized with rutilus, being considered merely a grey plumage morph. Subspecies rutilus includes proposed forms ornatus and cortapau; nominate rufus includes proposed subspecies noctivigularis. Recent sight records of present species from central Colombia, southern Ecuador, Peru and central Brazil not yet subspecifically assigned. Some of these may refer to as yet undescribed subspecies.

The following 5 subspecies are recognised:

• minimus (Griscom & Greenway, 1937)   -  Southern Costa Rica to northern Colombia, northern Venezuela and north-western Trinidad (including Bocas Is).
• otiosus Bangs, 1911   -  North-eastern St Lucia in Lesser Antilles. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, St. Lucia Nightjar (Caprimulgus otiosus).
• rufus (Boddaert, 1783)   -  Southern Venezuela east through the Guianas and north-central Brazil.
• rutilus Burmeister, 1856   -  Southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay and north-eastern Argentina.
• saltarius Olrog, 1979   -  North-western Argentina and possibly south-eastern Bolivia.

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BirdLife International For more information about the Rufous Nightjar see... BirdLife International Species Factsheet. Articles about the Rufous Nightjar If you would like to read any articles about the Rufous Nightjar... Show Articles (0) No Pictures of Rufous Nightjar If Birdpedia has no pictures of Rufous Nightjar or you would like to see more, then try the following...       From BING (10) No Videos of Rufous Nightjar If Birdpedia has no videos of Rufous Nightjar or you would like to see more, then try the following..       From BING (0) Where can I observe this species? Select an area (or leave blank) to see locations where this species has been recorded. Area   PANAMA OCEAN   All    Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location. Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.   Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence) Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)          N S or   GPS help Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence) Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)          E W or   Find GPS using Google Maps Distance Bearing     N NE E SE S SW W NW Get Sample GPS readings On What Field Trips was this species observed? Select an area (or leave blank), and a date range, to see field trips on which this species has been recorded. Area   PANAMA OCEAN   All    From To     Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location. Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.   Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence) Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)          N S or   GPS help Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence) Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)          E W or Distance Bearing     N NE E SE S SW W NW Get Sample GPS readings Latest Sightings for Rufous Nightjar Select the Area to restrict the Sightings. Area   PANAMA OCEAN   All