The genus
Lurocalis was introduced in 1851 by the American ornithologist
John Cassin. The
type species was designated as
Caprimulgus nattereri Temminck, 1822, by
George Robert Gray in 1855. This taxon is now considered as a
subspecies of the
short-tailed nighthawk. The genus name combines the
Ancient Greek oura meaning "tail" with
kolos meaning "stunted". The genus contains two species. ==References==