Jungle Nightjar

Caprimulgus indicus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesForestScrapeMedium · 92 g

ID tip

The jungle nightjar is about 21–24 cm long with the Sri Lankan population (ssp. kelaarti) being smaller. Mostly grey with black streaks on the crown, it lacks a conspicuous wing patch which is rufous. The tail is greyish with well separated narrow black bars. The male has a white throat patch that is broken at the middle. The female has a rufous throat patch and submoustachial streaks. The usual call is a series of thacoo or chuck notes (at the rate of 5 every 2 seconds) like a distant engine. The song is a slow and regular, series of FWik-m notes, repeated for as long as 10 seconds.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Jungle Nightjar

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 9 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Jungle Nightjar

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 4 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Japan.

About the Jungle Nightjar

The jungle nightjar is a species of nightjar found in the Indian subcontinent. It is found mainly on the edge of forests where it is seen or heard at dusk. The taxonomy of this and related nightjars is complex and a range of treatments have been followed that cover this and several other nightjars in the Asian region. It was formerly called the grey nightjar or Indian jungle nightjar and sometimes included the East Asian grey nightjar as a subspecies.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Jerdon's Nightjar vs Jungle Nightjar · Jungle Nightjar vs Red-necked Nightjar · Jungle Nightjar vs Square-tailed Nightjar · Freckled Nightjar vs Jungle Nightjar · Jungle Nightjar vs Rufous-cheeked Nightjar · Grey Nightjar vs Jungle Nightjar

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