Lyre-tailed Nightjar

Lyre-tailed Nightjar

Uropsalis lyra

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Farallones de Cali National Natural Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

1,184 Verified sightings at Farallones de Cali National Natural Park From 2019 to 2026
1,191 In all 2 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Lyre-tailed Nightjar

The lyre-tailed nightjar (Uropsalis lyra) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The lyre-tailed nightjar shares its genus with the swallow-tailed nightjar (Uropsalis segmentata).

The male lyre-tailed nightjar has extremely long outer tail feathers from which the species gets its name; they are more than twice as long as its body. The female's tail is much shorter and less graduated. Adults of the nominate subspecies are 23.5 to 28 cm (9.3 to 11 in) long excluding the tail streamers. The tail exceeds 60 cm (24 in) in length. Males weigh about 70 g (2.5 oz) and females about 77 g (2.7 oz). The male's upperparts are brown. Its crown and nape are spotted with grayish white, buff, tawny, and cinnamon; the back also has tawny and cinnamon spots. It has a broad tawny "collar" around the nape. The tail is brown; the streamers have broad grayish white tips and the other tail feathers are barred and mottled with tawny and buff. The wings are also overall brown with buff... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:51

Colombia · 2019

© Iván Lau · XC588462 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:40

Ecuador · 2005

© Niels Krabbe · XC251730 · CC BY-SA 4.0

?0:49

Peru · 2008

© F. Schmitt · XC33908 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~30%
2 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lyre-tailed Nightjar in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lyre-tailed Nightjar sighting in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park on a given day, based on 1,184 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 542 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lyre-tailed Nightjar in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park?

January to March

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Lyre-tailed Nightjar in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park on a given day, against about 10% in June, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Lyre-tailed Nightjar?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lyre-tailed Nightjar sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Farallones de Cali National Natural Park the best place to see a Lyre-tailed Nightjar?

Yes

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Lyre-tailed Nightjar sightings, Farallones de Cali National Natural Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).

Where does the Lyre-tailed Nightjar sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lyre-tailed Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (1,184 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.

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