What is the scientific name of the only bird known to hibernate?

The scientific name of the only bird known to hibernate is Phalaenoptilus nuttallii. Its common name is the common poorwill, a nocturnal nightjar native to western North America.

Unlike most birds, the poorwill can enter an unusually prolonged state of torpor lasting weeks or even months. During winter, some individuals remain concealed among rocks, with their body functions greatly slowed and activity almost completely suspended.

The behavior was recorded by Meriwether Lewis in 1804, but its significance was not understood at the time. Ornithologist Edmund Jaeger definitively documented the phenomenon in 1946, later publishing his findings in 1948.

Scientists sometimes describe the poorwill’s condition as extended torpor rather than “true” hibernation. That distinction explains why the bird is often called the only known hibernating bird, while the more precise statement is that it is the only bird known to undergo torpor for such an extended period. The species name honors naturalist Thomas Nuttall.