Mees’s Nightjar
Photo: James Eaton · CC0

Nightjars and Nighthawks

Mees’s Nightjar

Caprimulgus meesi

LCLeast Concern Endemic to Indonesia
Family
Nightjars and Nighthawks (Caprimulgidae)
Order
Caprimulgiformes

Overview

Mees's nightjar (Caprimulgus meesi) is a member of the nightjar family (Caprimulgidae) described as new to science in 2004.
It is a representative of the large-tailed nightjar complex found on Flores and Sumba, Indonesia. Previously unrecognised as a separate taxon due to its lack of morphological distinctness, Sangster and Rozendaal (2004) described this new species on the basis of its vocalisations, which differ significantly from those of the large-tailed nightjar races resident on other islands in the Lesser Sundas.
The species is named after Gerlof Mees, former curator of the Natural History Museum, Leiden.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Lesser Sundas (Sumba and Flores).

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Continents

Countries

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.