IMyau, Azara, Apunt. 1801, No. 310.
Nyctidromus americanus, Cassin, Pr. A. N. S. 1851, 179, 180; Catal. Caprim. Mus. Phila. Acad. 1851, 12 (Nicaragua).— Scl., P. Z. S. 1856, 285; 1859, 367 (Jalapa, E. Mexico).— Scl. & Salv., Ibis, 1859, 125, 173 (Guatemala).— Caban. & Heine, Mus. Hem. Ill, 1860, 92 (Jalapa ; Porto Cabello ; Guiana; Brazil).— Lawr., Ann. Lye. N.Y.VII, 1861, 290 (Isth. Panama).— Salvik, Ibis, 1866, 203 (Guatemala).— Coues & Sennett, Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr. vol. iv, No. 1, Feb. 1878, 34 (Brownsville, Texas).
Nyctidromus affinis, Gray, List B. Brit. Mus. II, 1844, 11, No. 2.
Nyctidromus derby anus, Gould, Icon. Av. II, 1838, pi. 2. — Gray & Mitch., Genera B. I, 1849, 48.— Bonap., Consp. I, 1850, 62.
Caprimulgus grallariu8 f -WiED 9 Mus. Lugd. (teste Bonap., Consp. 1, 1850, 62). Nyctidromus grallarius, Bonap., Consp. 1, 1850, 62 (Brazil). — Cassin, P. A. N. S. 1851, 179, 183 ; Catal. Caprim. Mus. Phila. Acad. 1851, 12 (Bogota).— Burm., Th. Bras. II, 1856, 392.
Caprimulgus laticaudatus, Drapiez, Diet. Class. Hist. Nat. VI, 1824, 169 (teste Cassin). Sp. ch. — Adult male: Wing, 6.75; tail, 6.75; tarsus, 1.10; middle toe, .80. Tarsus and heel-joint completely bare. Above, finely mottled brownish-gray, the crown with a central series of black, longitudinal dashes, the scapulars beautifully variegated with black and creamy-buff or ochraceous, in large, somewhat v*sh a P e d 7 markings; wing-coverts with large terminal spots of creamy-buff or ochraceous. Basal portion (sometimes almost the basal half) of the exposed portion of the larger primaries white, including both webs, and forming a conspicuous patch ; remainder of the quills uniform plain dusky. Outer tail-feather (on each side) nearly plain blackish throughout ; next feather chiefly white, with the greater portion of the outer web blackish ; third feather chiefly white, with the outer web margined more or less with dusky ; four middle tail-feathers without any white, the ground-color being mottled-grayish, variegated by ragged, badly defined u herring-bone*' blotches of black- ish along the shaft. Lower parts deep buff or crearay-ochraceous, the throat crossed by a distinct collar of pure white, the remaing portions transversely barred or " rayed" with dusky, these bars wider apart posteriorly.
Adult female; Wing, 6.00-6.30; tail, 5.80-6.00. Generally similar to the male, but smaller, the colors less pure, the markings less sharply contrasted, and the white areas of the primaries and rectrices more re- stricted. General hue of the plumage decidedly more brownish ; white patches on the primaries situated rather farther toward the ends of the feathers, occupying only the outer four (instead of six) quills; of smaller extent than in the male, and more or less tinged with ochraceous. White of the rectrices occupying only the terminal portion (from 0.75 of an inch to 1.75 inches) of the inner web of the second and third tail-feathers (counting from the outer), the blackish portions of these feathers broadly though somewhat irregularly barred and mottled with ochraceous.
White gular collar less distinct than, in the male.
With a somewhat close general resemblance to the Whip-poor-wilJ (Caprimulgus vociferus), this species may be at once distinguished by
