Listen to the Jerdon's nightjar
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Jerdon's nightjar
The Jerdon's nightjar is a bird in the family Caprimulgidae (order Caprimulgiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”.
What does the Jerdon's nightjar sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
The recordings here are labelled as caprimulgusatripennis. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
Jerdon's nightjar (Caprimulgus atripennis) is a medium-sized nightjar species native to southern India and Sri Lanka. Formerly considered as a subspecies of the long-tailed nightjar, it is best recognized by its distinctive call which sounds like a wooden plank being beaten periodically with each note ending in a quaver. The common name commemorates Thomas C. Jerdon who described the species.
Related birds in the genus Caprimulgus
More from the family Caprimulgidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a Jerdon's nightjar sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the Jerdon's nightjar on this page, including its caprimulgusatripennis. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the Jerdon's nightjar endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Jerdon's nightjar as “least concern”.
What family does the Jerdon's nightjar belong to?
The Jerdon's nightjar (Caprimulgus atripennis) belongs to the family Caprimulgidae in the order Caprimulgiformes.
Sources & credits
- CaprimulgusAtripennis by L. Shyamal – CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q1151433 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Jerdon's nightjar – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by T. R. Shankar Raman – CC BY-SA 4.0