Caprimulgus jotaka
The Grey Nightjar (Caprimulgus jotaka) is a master of camouflage, an enigmatic nocturnal bird native to East Asia, renowned for its cryptic plumage that blends seamlessly with leaf litter and tree bark. Measuring 25-31 cm (10-12 inches) in length with a wingspan of 55-65 cm (22-26 inches) and weighing 70-130 grams, this medium-sized nightjar exhibits a mottled pattern of grey, brown, black, and rufous, making it incredibly difficult to spot during daylight hours. Distinctive field marks inclu...
Found in open deciduous or coniferous woodlands, forest edges, clearings, and plantations, often in hilly or submontane regions up to 2000 meters elevation.
Mainly insectivorous, feeding on a wide range of night-flying insects such as moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and grasshoppers, captured primarily by aerial hawking.
Grey Nightjars are primarily nocturnal and crepuscular, emerging at dusk to forage and returning to their camouflaged roosts on the ground or horizontally along tree branches before dawn. Their foraging strategy involves aerial hawking, sallying from a low perch to snatch passing insects or conti...
The Grey Nightjar's breeding range spans across East Asia, including the Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku, the Korean Peninsula, extensive parts of northeastern, central, and eastern China, and the Russian Far East, including Amurland, Ussuriland, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands. D...
Least Concern
- The Grey Nightjar possesses a remarkably wide gape, an adaptation perfectly suited for scooping up flying insects mid-air. - Bristles around its mouth, called rictal bristles, help funnel insects into its mouth and protect its eyes during aerial chases. - Its cryptic plumage is so effective tha...