Caprimulgus asiaticus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Indian nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus) is a small nightjar which is a resident breeder in open lands across South Asia and Southeast Asia. Like most nightjars it is crepuscular and is best detected from its characteristic calls at dawn and dusk that have been likened to a stone skipping on a frozen lake - a series of clicks that become shorter and more rapid. They are sometimes spotted on roads when their eyes gleam red in the spotlight of a vehicle. There is considerable plumage variation across its range and can be hard to differentiate from other nightjars in the region especially in the field.
This nightjar is small and short-tailed with white corners to the tail, a golden nape and collar, dark cheeks and white patches on the sides of the throat. The crown is grey and the breast is finely barred in brown. The males have more white on the tail while the female is more heavily streaked on the crown. It is differentiated from Sykes's nightjar by the dark undertail and from Jerdon's nightjar by the shorter tail and white patches on the sides of the throat.
The call is distinctive and has been likened to a stone skipped on a frozen lake (due to which it was also... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 7 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 9 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 11 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 14 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
No species of the same family or order lives in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte], so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Nightjar sighting in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 131st most-seen of the 204 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Nightjar in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Nightjar sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 16 cities where we can rate Indian Nightjar sightings, Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] ranks 12th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Solapur (India, under 5%), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (India, under 5%) and Raipur (India, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (43 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
