
Photo: Stuart · CC0 1.0
Caprimulgus indicus
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Jungle Nightjar (Caprimulgus indicus) is a cryptically mottled nightjar with long wings, a broad head and white patches in the male's wings and tail. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).
It rests on the ground by day and catches moths, beetles and other flying insects over forest clearings after dusk. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. The Korean vertebrate catalogue used for this guide records the species in South Korea (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Korea occurrence records).