Large-tailed Nightjar

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds closely related to owls.  Like owls they have large wings, very soft plumage and hunt at night. Unlike owls they have very small feet. Owls need talons for their prey; nightjars feed on insects. Typical nightjars have very short bills with bristles around the mouth to funnel in the flying insects they catch. Although active at night, they hunt by sight, silhouetting their prey against the night sky. According to Wikipedia, nightjars tend to fly from a perch on moonlit nights, but fly continuously on darker nights when prey is harder to see.

You have probably heard its song- a soft repetitive “tok tok tok,” which, according to eBird, somewhat recalls the sound of a car's locking.


This is a well camouflaged bird, with not just disruptive coloration, but also countershading and exceptionally good background colour matching.  These nightjars are so confident of their camouflage that I have almost stepped on one before it flew away.   

Their name whether in English or in Malay is interesting.  The English name means “bird with jarring (discordant) sound active at night.” In Malay the bird is known officially as Tukang Malas.  However unofficially, due to its visits to cemeteries at night, it is also commonly called burung tukang kubur ("graveyard nightjar") https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burung_Tukang_Kubur

About a month ago I saw a Javan Myna in a pile of leaves. I decided to walk closer to investigate.


After taking a few steps I startled this nightjar.  After getting this photo I backed away so the bird could continue its sleep.

Just a few days ago I saw a South Asian Box Turtle in another pile of leaves.


On a hunch, I scanned the leaves for a nightjar.  I took this photo and backed away, leaving this bird resting on the ground.  (Sadly, birds over-harried by birdwatchers and photographers can die of exhaustion.  Do you really need the perfect shot?)




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