Caprimulgus donaldsoni
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Donaldson Smith's nightjar (Caprimulgus donaldsoni) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. It was named in honor of the 19th-century American explorer Arthur Donaldson Smith. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
No species of the same family or order lives in Meru National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 194th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar in Meru National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months. That is one of Meru National Park's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain against almost none in July. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Donaldson-Smith's 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.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar sightings, Meru National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, under 5%) and Tsavo East National Park (Kenya, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Meru National Park (14 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.
