Fiery-necked Nightjar

Fiery-necked Nightjar

Caprimulgus pectoralis

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Kafue National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

91 Verified sightings at Kafue National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,828 In all 29 parks
August Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Fiery-necked Nightjar

The fiery-necked nightjar (Caprimulgus pectoralis) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae, which is found mostly in Africa south of the equator, though it has been spotted in a few countries north of the equator. It is most often found in woodland savannas or other deciduous woodlands. It is usually distinguished by its tawny coloured collar which gives the species its common name. It has a distinctive call that many have rendered as 'good-lord-deliver-us'. The fiery-necked nightjar is an insectivorous species that mostly eats butterflies, moths and other insects. The fiery-necked nightjar breeds after the dry season and typically produce two clutches with two eggs per clutch.

The fiery-necked nightjar belongs to the family Caprimulgidae which includes roughly 90 species of nightjars, nighthawks and their relatives. These birds are all insectivorous and most active at dawn, dusk and over night. In addition, a distinguishing feature of this family is the pectinate claw, which these birds use for preening. The fiery-necked nightjar is part of the Caprimulgus genus which contains the majority of the nightjar species. The fiery-necked nightjar is most closely... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:38

Kenya · 2024

© Peter Boesman · XC948007 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:54

Zambia · 2023

© Marc Anderson · XC881534 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Uncertain1:20

Botswana · 1964

© Nature sounds by Simply Birding · XC651567 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
2 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
3 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
4 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
5 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
6 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
7 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
8 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
9 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
10 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~10%
11 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
12 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
13 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
14 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
15 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
16 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
17 De Hoop Nature Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
18 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
19 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
20 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
21 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
<5%
22 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
23 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
24 West Coast National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
25 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
26 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
27 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
28 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
29 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Harare 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
2 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
3 Cape Town 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
4 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Fiery-necked Nightjar in Kafue National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Fiery-necked Nightjar sighting in Kafue National Park on a given day, based on 91 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 102nd most-seen of the 338 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.

When is the best time to see a Fiery-necked Nightjar in Kafue National Park?

August

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Fiery-necked Nightjar in Kafue National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June and November–April, the lowest months. That is one of Kafue National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 290 mm in January.

What time of day is best to see a Fiery-necked Nightjar?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fiery-necked Nightjar sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Kafue National Park the best place to see a Fiery-necked Nightjar?

Yes

Of the 29 parks where we can rate Fiery-necked Nightjar sightings, Kafue National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 10%) and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (South Africa, about 10%).

Where does the Fiery-necked Nightjar sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Fiery-necked Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Kafue National Park (91 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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