[3][4] The first formal description of the Jamaican poorwill was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Caprimulgus americanus.

The chin and upper throat are rufous, the lower throat clear white, the breast rufous with faint narrow brown barring, and the belly and flanks buff with brown bars and large whitish spots.

The female is similar to the male, but somewhat less rufous overall; its underparts are more heavily spotted and the tips of the tail feathers are buffy.

[4] It possessed distinct 2 mm long tubular nostrils that differentiated it from its relatives on the mainland.

The habitats in Jamaica's south side included low elevation dry limestone forest, semi-open woodland, and open country.