The great eared nightjar was formally described in 1831 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors based on a sample collected in the neighbourhood of Manila in the Philippines.

It and the closely related Malaysian eared nightjar were moved to the resurrected genus Lyncornis based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 that found large genetic differences between the great eared nightjar and other species in Eurostopodus.

[5] Five subspecies are recognised:[3] The great eared nightjar is the largest species in the family in terms of length, which can range from 31 to 41 cm (12 to 16 in).

[6] It is found in South Asia and Southeast Asia with populations in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka,[7] Bangladesh,[1] India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

[8] They have a distinctive call which includes a sharp tsiik followed by a pause and a two-syllable ba-haaww.