Caprimulgus indicus
The Jungle Nightjar, *Caprimulgus indicus*, also widely known as the Grey Nightjar, is a master of cryptic camouflage, perfectly blending into its forest floor or branch roosts. Measuring approximately 26-30 cm in length with a wingspan of 55-60 cm, its plumage is a complex mosaic of mottled grey, brown, black, and rufous tones, intricately streaked and vermiculated to mimic bark and leaf litter. Distinctive field marks for males include conspicuous white spots on the outer primaries and a sm...
Found in open woodlands, forest edges, scrublands, plantations, and cultivation, often near water bodies. It ranges from lowlands up to elevations of 3,000 meters in mountainous regions.
Exclusively insectivorous, feeding primarily on moths, beetles, crickets, cicadas, and winged ants. It forages by aerial hawking, catching insects on the wing.
Primarily nocturnal and crepuscular, the Jungle Nightjar spends its days roosting motionless on the ground amidst leaf litter or horizontally along a branch, its cryptic plumage providing perfect camouflage. It forages by sallying from a low perch or in continuous, agile flight, hawking for flyin...
The Jungle Nightjar exhibits a complex and somewhat disjunct distribution across Asia. The nominate subspecies, *C. i. indicus*, breeds in the Himalayas, Northeast India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and parts of Indochina and China, often wintering further south into the Sunda Islands. Subspecies *C. i....
Least Concern
- The Jungle Nightjar is a master of camouflage, rendering itself virtually invisible during daylight hours by blending seamlessly with its surroundings. - Its scientific family name, Caprimulgidae, literally means 'goatsucker,' stemming from an ancient myth that these birds suckled milk from goa...