Indian Nightjar
Caprimulgus asiaticus
The Indian Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus) is a uncommon nightjars and nighthawk found in 8 countries, weighing about 42 g. The Indian nightjar is a small nightjar which is a resident breeder in open lands across South Asia and Southeast Asia.
About the Indian Nightjar
The Indian nightjar is a small nightjar which is a resident breeder in open lands across South Asia and Southeast Asia. Like most nightjars it is crepuscular and is best detected from its characteristic calls at dawn and dusk that have been likened to a stone skipping on a frozen lake - a series of clicks that become shorter and more rapid. They are sometimes spotted on roads when their eyes gleam red in the spotlight of a vehicle. There is considerable plumage variation across its range and can be hard to differentiate from other nightjars in the region especially in the field.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This nightjar is small and short-tailed with white corners to the tail, a golden nape and collar, dark cheeks and white patches on the sides of the throat. The crown is grey and the breast is finely barred in brown. The males have more white on the tail while the female is more heavily streaked on the crown. It is differentiated from Sykes's nightjar by the dark undertail and from Jerdon's nightjar by the shorter tail and white patches on the sides of the throat.
What the Indian Nightjar sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Indian Nightjar can be seen all year round, with peak activity in February. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Indian Nightjar?
- This nightjar is small and short-tailed with white corners to the tail, a golden nape and collar, dark cheeks and white patches on the sides of the throat. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Indian Nightjar?
- The Indian Nightjar is a small sized bird weighing about 42 g.
- Where can you see an Indian Nightjar?
- The Indian Nightjar occurs in 8 countries, including India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma).
- What does an Indian Nightjar sound like?
- You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Indian Nightjar on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to an Indian Nightjar?
- The Indian Nightjar is most easily confused with the Large-tailed Nightjar, the Jerdon's Nightjar and the Red-necked Nightjar.
- Is the Indian Nightjar endangered?
- The Indian Nightjar is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Indian Nightjar for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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