Nyctiprogne leucopyga
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The band-tailed nighthawk (Nyctiprogne leucopyga) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is widely spread throughout northern and central South America. Five subspecies are recognised. They are nocturnal birds that feed on flying insects. As with almost all nightjars, they lay their eggs directly on the ground and rely their camouflaged plumage to avoid predation.
The band-tailed nighthawk was formally described and illustrated in 1825 by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix under the binomial name Caprimulgus leucopygus. Spix specified the habitat as the wooded shores of the Amazon. The specific epithet is derived from Ancient Greek λευκοπυγος/leukopugos meaning "with white rear", from λευκος/leukos meaning "white" and -πυγος/-pugos meaning "-rumped". The band-tailed nighthawk is now placed together with the plain-tailed nighthawk in the genus Nyctiprogne that was introduced in 1847 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.
There are 5 recognized subspecies which differ in size, colour and vocalizations. The subspecies N. l. latifascia has been suggested to be a separate species. It is visually distinct from the other... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Band-tailed Nighthawk sighting in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas on a given day, based on 642 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 66th most-seen of the 308 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Band-tailed Nighthawk in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas on a given day, against about 20% in June and November–December, the lowest months. That is one of Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas's driest months, with almost no rain against 190 mm in January. January to April have too few records to rate.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Band-tailed Nighthawk sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Band-tailed Nighthawk sightings, Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Anavilhanas National Park (Brazil, about 20%).
Same family: Caprimulgidae
The closest relatives of the Band-tailed Nighthawk that you can see in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (family Caprimulgidae, Nightjars and Allies) are Common Pauraque (about 10%) and Ñacundá Nighthawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Band-tailed Nighthawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (642 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.
