Caprimulgus fossii
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The square-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus fossii) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae which is native to tropical and subtropical woodlands of the Afrotropics. It has an extensive range south of the African equator. Despite not having a completely "square tail", its naming highlights a distinguishing field mark. The similarly plumaged slender-tailed nightjar, found in dry bush country of the tropics, differs namely by its protruding central tail feathers. It is alternatively known as the Gabon nightjar or Gaboon nightjar or the Mozambique nightjar.
It occurs mainly south of the equator in Africa, but enters the tropics during the northern hemisphere summer. An isolated race occurs in Equatorial Guinea and western Gabon. It is a seasonal visitor to the northern DRC, northern Tanzania, southern Kenya and southern Uganda. It occurs year-round in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
This bird's call is a prolonged churring, which alternates between a fast and slow pace roughly every second. As such it differs from the similar long-tailed... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 3 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 4 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 5 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 7 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 8 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 9 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 10 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 11 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 12 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 13 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 14 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 15 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 16 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 17 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 18 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 19 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 20 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 21 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 22 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 23 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 24 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Square-tailed Nightjar sighting in Gorongosa National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 123rd most-seen of the 250 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Square-tailed Nightjar in Gorongosa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and June–July, the lowest months. That is one of Gorongosa National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 210 mm in January. March and December–January have too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Square-tailed Nightjar sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
8th of 24
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Square-tailed Nightjar sightings, Gorongosa National Park ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 20%), Liwonde National Park (Malawi, about 20%) and South Luangwa National Park (Zambia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Square-tailed Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Gorongosa National Park (19 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.
