Setopagis parvula
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, based on 74 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 111th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Little Nightjar in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and June–August, the lowest months. December has 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.
Yes
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Little Nightjar sightings, El Impenetrable National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Chapada dos Guimarães National Park (Brazil, about 10%) and Iberá National Park (Argentina, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in El Impenetrable National Park (74 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.
