Jungle Nightjar
Caprimulgus indicus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCaprimulgiformes (Nightjars and Allies)
- FamilyCaprimulgidae (Nightjars and Allies)
- GenusCaprimulgus (Old World Nightjars)
- SpeciesCaprimulgus indicus (Jungle Nightjar)
About the Jungle Nightjar
The jungle nightjar (Caprimulgus indicus) 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 (C. jotaka) as a subspecies.
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. This sometimes ends in quick whistling foo-foo with the quality of sounds obtained when air is blown... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Jungle Nightjar in Kanha National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Kanha National Park
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 8 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 13 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Jungle Nightjar in Kanha National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Jungle Nightjar sighting in Kanha National Park, based on 340 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Jungle Nightjar in Kanha National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Jungle Nightjar in Kanha National Park in our monthly data.