Macropsalis forcipata
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The long-trained nightjar (Hydropsalis forcipata) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina and Brazil. Some authors have contended that the binomial Macropsalis creagra bestowed by Bonaparte in 1850 is correct, but consensus now is that the specific epithet forcipata has priority.
The long-trained nightjar was formerly the only species placed in the genus Macropsalis. Based on the results of a 2023 molecular genetic study by Thiago Costa and collaborators, the species is now placed with three other species in the genus Hydropsalis that was introduced in 1832 by Johann Georg Wagler. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The male long-trained nightjar has extremely long outer tail feathers from which the species gets its name. It is 28 to 31 cm (11 to 12 in) long excluding those feathers, which are 48 to 68 cm (19 to 27 in) long. Both sex's upperparts are brown with spots and bars of grayish brown, tawny, buff, and cinnamon. The wings are similarly colored, with none of the white that others in family Caprimulgidae have. They have a broad tawny or tawny buff collar on the hindneck... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-trained Nightjar sighting in Itatiaia National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 328th most-seen of the 352 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-trained Nightjar in Itatiaia National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-trained Nightjar sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Itatiaia National Park, in our data
Itatiaia National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Long-trained Nightjar sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-trained Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Itatiaia National Park (7 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.
