🐦

Grey Nightjar

Caprimulgus jotaka

Least Concern
Wingspan
40.7 cm
Weight
84.4 g
Family
Caprimulgidae
Order
Caprimulgiformes

About

A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~84 g) of montane forest and forest edges in Japan, Korea, and northeastern China, wintering in Southeast Asia. Greyish brown with fine vermiculations. Recently split from the Jungle Nightjar. Males call with a nasal 'pyo-pyo' at dusk. Feeds on flying insects. Least Concern.

Physical Description

Measurement Value Imperial
Wingspan 40.7 cm 16.0 in
Weight 84.4 g 2.98 oz

Identification

Plumage

Grey-brown above with pale buff vermiculations; grey tones stronger than Jungle Nightjar; white throat patch; white outer wing spots; white outer tail in male; buff throat and tail spots in female.

Habitat & Range

Geographic Range

Breeds in deciduous and mixed forest from far eastern Russia and northern China south to Korea and Japan; winters in southern and Southeast Asia.

Diet & Feeding

Hawks moths and large insects at dusk and night over East and SE Asian forest and open woodland.

Conservation Status

Least Concern
IUCN Red List

Behavior & Breeding

Nesting

Nest type: NO. Incubation: 16-19 days. Fledging: 17 days.

Clutch Size

1-2

Sound

Song

Persistent 'cawk-cawk-cawk'; hollow, frog-like notes repeated rapidly; calls from East Asian forests at night; higher-pitched variant churr also given; very persistent caller

Taxonomy

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Caprimulgiformes (Nightjars & Swifts)
Family Caprimulgidae (Nightjars)
Genus Caprimulgus
Species Caprimulgus jotaka

Distribution

Grey Nightjar has been recorded in 1 countries.

{# Distribution Map — simplified SVG world map with highlighted countries. Expects `country_codes` variable: list of ISO alpha-2 codes (e.g. ["US", "CA", "MX"]). Uses Alpine.js to toggle classes on country paths. #}
Present Not recorded
{# Simplified country/region shapes — major landmasses with ISO alpha-2 data attributes. These are simplified polygon representations for visual distribution display. #}

countries highlighted

External Databases

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Grey Nightjar eat?
Hawks moths and large insects at dusk and night over East and SE Asian forest and open woodland.
Where does the Grey Nightjar live?
Breeds in deciduous and mixed forest from far eastern Russia and northern China south to Korea and Japan; winters in southern and Southeast Asia.
Is the Grey Nightjar endangered?
The Grey Nightjar has a conservation status of Least Concern.
How does the Grey Nightjar nest?
Nest type: NO. Incubation: 16-19 days. Fledging: 17 days.
What does the Grey Nightjar sound like?
Persistent 'cawk-cawk-cawk'; hollow, frog-like notes repeated rapidly; calls from East Asian forests at night; higher-pitched variant churr also given; very persistent caller
How big is the Grey Nightjar?
The Grey Nightjar has a wingspan of 40.7 cm, weight of 84.4 g.
What order and family does the Grey Nightjar belong to?
The Grey Nightjar (Caprimulgus jotaka) belongs to the order Caprimulgiformes and the family Caprimulgidae.

Similar Birds

Other species in the Caprimulgidae family

Compare

Explore More

Explore the Nature FYI Family