CreatureData

Spot-backed puffbird

Nystalus maculatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The spot-backed puffbird (Nystalus maculatus) is a species in the family Bucconidae, order Piciformes. Recorded adults weigh 41.3 g to 42 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Spot-backed puffbird (Nystalus maculatus)
Photo: Agabrieleandreia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the spot-backed puffbird

Weight
42 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.4src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the spot-backed puffbird live?

Not recorded

What is the spot-backed puffbird?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The spot-backed puffbird (Nystalus maculatus) is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is found in South America from northeastern Brazil to northwestern Argentina. The spot-backed puffbird has sometimes been split into two species, the Caatinga puffbird and the Chaco puffbird.

From the Wikipedia article “Spot-backed puffbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spot-backed_puffbird&oldid=1315184439), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the spot-backed puffbird endangered?

The spot-backed puffbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the spot-backed puffbird classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPiciformes
  5. familyBucconidae
  6. genusNystalus
  7. SpeciesNystalus maculatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

Synonyms Alcedo maculata, Bucco maculatus, Nystalus maculatus maculatus, Nystalus maculatus parvirostris

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • Caatinga puffbirdEnglish
  • Caatinga puffbirdEnglish
  • barbacoll maculatCatalan
  • lenivka tečkovanáCzech
  • Pletrygget DovenfuglDanish
  • Flecken-FaulvogelGerman
  • Fleckmantel-FaulvogelGerman
  • makuldorsa bukonoEsperanto
  • Buco durmilíSpanish
  • DurmilíSpanish
  • kampo-puhvlindEstonian
  • keltakauluslaiskuriFinnish
  • Tamatia tamajacFrench
  • pjegavi hakuruCroatian
  • foltos bukkóHungarian
  • Piumino dorsomacchiatoItalian
  • セボシオオガシラJapanese
  • dėmėtasis nistalasLithuanian
  • VlekrugbaardkoekoekDutch
  • flekkdovenfuglNorwegian
  • drzym plamistyPolish
  • Fura-barreiraPortuguese
  • barbudo-da-caatingaPortuguese
  • rapazinho-dos-velhosPortuguese
  • Пёстрая пуховкаRussian
  • Пятнистая нисталусRussian
  • lenivka škvrnitáSlovak
  • caatingatrögfågelSwedish
  • fläckryggig trögfågelSwedish
  • Kaatinga PufkuşuTurkish
  • лінивка-смугохвіст плямистобокаUkrainian
  • 點背噴鴷Chinese
  • 斑背蓬头䴕Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the spot-backed puffbird

Other species in the same genus Nystalus.

LC, Least Concern

Barred puffbird

Nystalus radiatus

BucconidaeNo free photo yet

CompareSpot-backed puffbird vs White-eared puffbirdSpot-backed puffbird vs Eastern striolated puffbirdSpot-backed puffbird vs Barred puffbirdSpot-backed puffbird vs Obama puffbird

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the spot-backed puffbird?

An adult spot-backed puffbird weighs 42 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the spot-backed puffbird endangered?

The spot-backed puffbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the spot-backed puffbird?

The spot-backed puffbird (Nystalus maculatus) belongs to the family Bucconidae in the order Piciformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Spot-backed puffbird (Nystalus maculatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/spot-backed-puffbird

MLA

“Spot-backed puffbird (Nystalus maculatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/spot-backed-puffbird.

BibTeX
@misc{spot_backed_puffbird_2026,
  title = {Spot-backed puffbird (Nystalus maculatus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/spot-backed-puffbird},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}