Setopagis parvula
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The little nightjar (Setopagis parvula) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. The little nightjar was formally described in 1837 by the English ornithologist John Gould under the binomial name Caprimulgus parvulus. Gould did not specify a locality but the specimen had come from near Santa Fe, on the Rio Paraná in northeastern Argentina. The specific epithet parvulus is Latin meaning "very small". The little nightjar is now placed in the genus Setopagis that was introduced in 1912 by the American ornithologist Robert Ridgway. At various times what are now Todd's nightjar (Setopagis heterura) and Anthony's nightjar (Nyctidromus anthonyi) were considered subspecies of little nightjar, but it is now treated as monotypic. Molecular genetic analysis has shown that the little nightjar is sister to Todd's nightjar (Setopagis heterura).
The little nightjar is 19 to 21 cm (7.5 to 8.3 in) long and weighs 25 to 46.5 g (0.88 to 1.6 oz). The male is generally grayish brown with buff, brown, and blackish brown spots and streaks. The belly is buff with brown bars... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 7 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 9 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 3 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque das Aves | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Nightjar sighting in Chapada dos Guimarães National Park on a given day, based on 63 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 142nd most-seen of the 273 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Little Nightjar in Chapada dos Guimarães National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–July and October–January, the lowest months. That is one of Chapada dos Guimarães National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 240 mm in March. February to April have too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little Nightjar sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Little Nightjar sightings, Chapada dos Guimarães National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in El Impenetrable National Park (Argentina, about 10%).
Same family: Caprimulgidae
The closest relatives of the Little Nightjar that you can see in Chapada dos Guimarães National Park (family Caprimulgidae, Nightjars and Allies) are Common Pauraque (about 30%), Rufous Nightjar (about 10%) and Band-winged Nightjar (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Chapada dos Guimarães National Park (63 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
