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.

[3] Thomas C. Jerdon first described this species in an annotation to his 1845 treatment of the jungle nightjar (C. indicus) in the Illustrations of Indian ornithology.

[7][8][9] Like other nightjars, it has a wide gape, long wings, soft downy plumage and nocturnal habits.

It flies after sundown with an easy, silent fluttering flight, appearing a bit like an outsized moth at a casual glance.

During the day, Jerdon's nightjar lies silent upon the ground, concealed by its plumage; it is then difficult to detect, blending in with the soil.

Unlike the Indian nightjar (C. asiaticus), this species rarely rests on roads during the night, preferring to alight on bushes.