Large-tailed nightjar
Caprimulgus macrurus Horsfield, 1821
The large-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus) is a species in the family Caprimulgidae, order Caprimulgiformes. Recorded adults weigh 64.4 g to 67.6 g. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Quick facts about the large-tailed nightjar
- Weight
- 64.4 g – 67.6 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- woodlandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.4 – 2src for Young per litter or clutch
- Lifestyle
- Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
Where does the large-tailed nightjar live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The large-tailed nightjar is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the large-tailed nightjar?
The large-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus) is a species of nightjar known for its distinctive long, broad tail and cryptic plumage that allows it to blend into its surroundings. Found along the southern Himalayan foothills, eastern South Asia, Southeast Asia and northern Australia, its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
From the Wikipedia article “Large-tailed nightjar” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Large-tailed_nightjar&oldid=1379852297), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the large-tailed nightjar endangered?
The large-tailed nightjar is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the large-tailed nightjar classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCaprimulgiformes
- familyCaprimulgidae
- genusCaprimulgus
- SpeciesCaprimulgus macrurus Horsfield, 1821
Other names and names in other languages (37)
- سبد وسيع الذيلArabic
- দিনকানাBangla
- enganyapastors de HorsfieldCatalan
- lelek indomalajskýCzech
- troellwr cynffonhir AsiaWelsh
- Orientalsk NatravnDanish
- LangschwanznachtschwalbeGerman
- Langschwanz-NachtschwalbeGerman
- larĝvosta kaprimulgoEsperanto
- Chotacabras macruroSpanish
- kagu-öösorrEstonian
- pitkäpyrstökehrääjäFinnish
- Engoulevent de HorsfieldFrench
- šareni leganjCroatian
- szélesfarkú lappantyúHungarian
- Cabak malingIndonesian
- Succiacapre codalargaItalian
- Succiacapre codalungaItalian
- オビロヨタカJapanese
- stambiauodegis lėlysLithuanian
- Burung Tukang KuburMalay
- लामपुच्छ्रे चैतेचराNepali
- Horsfields NachtzwaluwDutch
- hamrenattravnNorwegian
- lelek paskogłowyPolish
- noitibó-de-cauda-largaPortuguese
- Козодой ХорсфильдаRussian
- Длиннохвостый козодойRussian
- lelek veľkochvostýSlovak
- Repati leganjSerbian
- bredstjärtad nattskärraSwedish
- นกตบยุงหางยาวThai
- Koca Kuyruklu ÇobanaldatanTurkish
- дрімлюга великохвостийUkrainian
- Cú muỗi đuôi dàiVietnamese
- 長尾夜鷹Chinese
- 长尾夜鹰Chinese
Relatives of the large-tailed nightjar
Other species in the same genus Caprimulgus.

European nightjar
Caprimulgus europaeus

Red-necked nightjar
Caprimulgus ruficollis

Egyptian nightjar
Caprimulgus aegyptius

Indian nightjar
Caprimulgus asiaticus

Jungle nightjar
Caprimulgus indicus

Savanna nightjar
Caprimulgus affinis
CompareLarge-tailed nightjar vs European nightjarLarge-tailed nightjar vs Red-necked nightjarLarge-tailed nightjar vs Egyptian nightjarLarge-tailed nightjar vs Indian nightjar
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the large-tailed nightjar?
An adult large-tailed nightjar weighs 64.4 g – 67.6 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Where does the large-tailed nightjar live?
Catalogue of Life checklists list the large-tailed nightjar for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.
Is the large-tailed nightjar endangered?
The large-tailed nightjar is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the large-tailed nightjar?
The large-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus) belongs to the family Caprimulgidae in the order Caprimulgiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Large-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/large-tailed-nightjar
“Large-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/large-tailed-nightjar.
@misc{large_tailed_nightjar_2026,
title = {Large-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/large-tailed-nightjar},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}