Caprimulgiformes
| Caprimulgiformes Temporal range: Middle Paleocene to present |
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| Large-tailed nightjar, Caprimulgus macrurus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Superorder: | Cypselomorphae |
| Order: |
Caprimulgiformes Ridgway, 1881 |
| Families | |
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| Global distribution of the nightjar and allies | |
The Caprimulgiformes is an order of birds that includes a number of birds with global distribution (except Antarctica). They are generally insectivorous and nocturnal. The order gets its name from the Latin for "goat-milker", an old name based on an erroneous view of the European nightjar's feeding habits.
The classification of the various birds that make up the order has long been controversial and difficult, particularly in the case of the nightjars. Most taxonomists consider the following families, but some may be polyphenetic in their own distinct orders:
Traditionally, they were regarded, on morphological grounds, as being midway between the owls (Strigiformes) and the swifts. Like the owls, they are nocturnal hunters with a highly developed sense of sight, and like the swifts they are excellent flyers with small, weak legs. At one time or another, they have been allied with owls, swifts, kingfishers, hoopoes, mousebirds, hornbills, rollers, bee-eaters, woodpeckers, trogons and hummingbirds.
Based on analysis of DNA sequence data – notably β-fibrinogen intron 7 – Fain and Houde considered the families of the Caprimulgiformes to be members of the proposed clade Metaves, which also includes the hoatzin, tropicbirds, sandgrouse, pigeons, kagu, sunbittern, mesites, flamingos, grebes and swifts and hummingbirds. This clade was also found by the expanded study of Ericson et al. (2006), but support was extremely weak.
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