Jungle nightjar

Caprimulgus indicus

(Photo from Living into the Wild)

Common name:

jungle nightjar (en); noitibó-da-selva (pt); engoulevent indien (fr); chotacabras de jungla (es); dschungelnachtschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Caprimulgiformes

Family Caprimulgidae

Range:

This Asia species is found from India and Pakistan, throughout south-east Asia, and into China, Japan and eastern Russia.

Size:

The jungle nightjar is 21-29 cm long and weighs 70-110 g.

Habitat:

This species is mostly found in dense, tropical and subtropical dry forests, but it may also be found near farms, arable land, plantations and dry scrublands. They are found from sea level up to an altitude of 3.300 m.

Diet:

Jungle nightjars forage at dusk and during the night, mostly hunting insects on the wing.

Breeding:

These birds breed in March-June. They nest in a slight depression in the ground, usually under some low bush. There the female lays 2 salmon-pink eggs with brown blotches. The eggs are mostly incubated by the female, but with some help by the male, and hatch after 16-17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18 days after hatching.

Conservation

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally common. Although this species is sometimes the target of hunting or food, the population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.