Jerdon's Nightjar
Caprimulgus atripennis
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCaprimulgiformes (Nightjars and Allies)
- FamilyCaprimulgidae (Nightjars and Allies)
- GenusCaprimulgus (Old World Nightjars)
- SpeciesCaprimulgus atripennis (Jerdon's Nightjar)
About the Jerdon's Nightjar
Jerdon's nightjar (Caprimulgus atripennis) is a medium-sized nightjar species native to southern India and Sri Lanka. Formerly considered as a subspecies of the long-tailed nightjar, it is best recognized by its distinctive call which sounds like a wooden plank being beaten periodically with each note ending in a quaver. The common name commemorates Thomas C. Jerdon who described the species.
Thomas C. Jerdon first described this species in an annotation to his 1845 treatment of the jungle nightjar (C. indicus) in the Illustrations of Indian ornithology. Subsequently, it was sometimes lumped again with C. macrurus, but the co-occurrence of this form and large-tailed nightjar C. macrurus without interbreeding in the northeast of the Indian peninsula was noted in 1987 suggesting their distinctness. It has since been reaffirmed as a full species based on studies of their vocalizations. The subspecies in Sri Lanka is C. a. aequabilis. Jerdon's type locality mentioned as Ghauts has been considered to be the Eastern Ghats west of Nellore.
Like other nightjars, it has a wide gape, long wings, soft downy plumage and nocturnal habits. At 26 cm in overall length... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Jerdon's Nightjar in Minneriya National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Minneriya National Park
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Jerdon's Nightjar in Minneriya National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Jerdon's Nightjar sighting in Minneriya National Park, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Jerdon's Nightjar in Minneriya National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Jerdon's Nightjar in Minneriya National Park in our monthly data.