Fiery-necked Nightjar

Fiery-necked Nightjar

Caprimulgus pectoralis

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Johannesburg

In 3 days <5%

10 Verified sightings at Johannesburg
1,828 In all 29 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Fiery-necked Nightjar

The fiery-necked nightjar (Caprimulgus pectoralis) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae, which is found mostly in Africa south of the equator, though it has been spotted in a few countries north of the equator. It is most often found in woodland savannas or other deciduous woodlands. It is usually distinguished by its tawny coloured collar which gives the species its common name. It has a distinctive call that many have rendered as 'good-lord-deliver-us'. The fiery-necked nightjar is an insectivorous species that mostly eats butterflies, moths and other insects. The fiery-necked nightjar breeds after the dry season and typically produce two clutches with two eggs per clutch.

The fiery-necked nightjar belongs to the family Caprimulgidae which includes roughly 90 species of nightjars, nighthawks and their relatives. These birds are all insectivorous and most active at dawn, dusk and over night. In addition, a distinguishing feature of this family is the pectinate claw, which these birds use for preening. The fiery-necked nightjar is part of the Caprimulgus genus which contains the majority of the nightjar species. The fiery-necked nightjar is most closely... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:38

Kenya · 2024

© Peter Boesman · XC948007 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:54

Zambia · 2023

© Marc Anderson · XC881534 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Uncertain1:20

Botswana · 1964

© Nature sounds by Simply Birding · XC651567 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
2 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
3 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
4 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
5 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
6 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
7 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
8 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
9 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
10 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~10%
11 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
12 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
13 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
14 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
15 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
16 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
17 De Hoop Nature Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
18 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
19 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
20 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
21 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
<5%
22 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
23 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
24 West Coast National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
25 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
26 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
27 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
28 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
29 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Harare 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
2 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
3 Cape Town 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
4 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Fiery-necked Nightjar in Johannesburg?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Fiery-necked Nightjar sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 208th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Fiery-necked Nightjar in Johannesburg?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Fiery-necked Nightjar in Johannesburg on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Fiery-necked Nightjar?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fiery-necked Nightjar sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Johannesburg the best place to see a Fiery-necked Nightjar?

4th of 4

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Fiery-necked Nightjar sightings, Johannesburg ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Harare (Zimbabwe, about 10%), Pretoria (South Africa, under 5%) and Cape Town (South Africa, under 5%).

Where does the Fiery-necked Nightjar sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Fiery-necked Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Johannesburg (10 verified sightings), 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.

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