Large-tailed Nightjar - BirdForum Opus

At roost with two youngsters, Subspecies C. m. bimaculatus
Photo © by SeeToh
Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore, May 2018

Caprimulgus macrurus

Identification

25–29 cm (9¾-11½ in)

Greyish-brown upperparts, with blackish-brown streaks

Sexually dimorphic

Distribution

Day-time perch on a high bough, subspecies C. m. albonotatus
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, September-2012

Southern Asia, northeast Pakistan, East Indies to northern and eastern Australia.

Taxonomy

Andaman Nightjar C. andamanicus has been split from C. macrurus (Sangster & Rozendaal, 2004; Clements, 2007; Gill & Wright, 2008).

Subspecies

There are 6 subspecies^[1]:

C. m. albonotatus:

North East Pakistan and northern India to Bhutan and Bangladesh

C. m. bimaculatus:

North East India to southern China, Sumatra and Riau Archipelago

C. m. johnsoni:

South Philippines (Palawan, Busuanga and Culion)

C. m. salvadorii:

North Borneo, Labuan, Balambangan, Banguey and southern Sula islands

C. m. macrurus :

Java and Bali

C. m. schlegelii:

Wallacea, New Guinea, New Britain and coastal northern Australia

Habitat

They use a variety of habitats, showing a preference for areas with trees, mostly deciduous woodland and bamboo.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists almost entirely of flying insects, such as moths, crickets, wasps and grasshoppers.

Breeding

An unlined nest is made on ground. Their clutch contains 2 pale cream eggs, with brown spots. Incubation by female lasts 21–22 days; fledging period is about three weeks.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Sangster, G. and Rozendaal, F. G. (2004) Systematics on Asian birds, 41. Territorial songs and species-level taxonomy of nightjars of the Caprimulgus macrurus complex, with description of a new species. Zool. Verh. 350: 7-45.
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2018)
Animalia Life

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Large-tailed Nightjar. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 November 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Large-tailed_Nightjar

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