Caprimulgus climacurus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The long-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus climacurus) is one of 98 species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae, the "true nightjars". It is a nocturnal, insectivorous bird characterized by its distinctive long tail. It is found throughout mainland Africa in open areas, arid semi-deserts, and savannas, with common sightings alongside roadways.
The long-tailed nightjar ranges from about 29–43 cm in size and is sexually dimorphic. It has a long, graduated tail, with its size ranging from 200-304 mm in males and 156-256 mm in females. Its plumage is primarily rufous-brown to gray-brown in colour, but has pale bands (white in males, buff in females) across the forewing, as well as along the trailing edge of the flight feathers. The males can also have a white throat patch and brown bills, legs and feet. A sexually immature Long-tailed Nightjar looks more similar to a female, however its plumage tends to be paler.
The identification characteristics of the Long-tailed Nightjar are similar to those of the slender-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus clarus) and the square-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus fossii). Specifically, when the long-tailed Nightjar is non-breeding or moulting... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 2 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Nightjar sighting in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, based on 31 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 255th most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Nightjar in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and April–December, the lowest months. Those are among Murchison Falls National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in October.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-tailed Nightjar sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Long-tailed Nightjar sightings, Murchison Falls National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-tailed Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Murchison Falls National Park (31 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.
