Caprimulgus inornatus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The plain nightjar (Caprimulgus inornatus) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It breeds in the southern Sahel, Southern Sudan, the Horn of Africa and the southwestern Arabian Peninsula. It migrates to lower latitudes - including central Congo and northern Tanzania. A rather plain looking nightjar with grey-brown, brown, and rufous morphs. Males have white spots on primaries (4 feathers), large white corners to tail, and no white on the throat (may show black spots on the crown and scapulars like Star-spotted Nightjar). Females have buffy-brown wing spots, and no white on the tail.
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Plain Nightjar sighting in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 304th most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Plain Nightjar in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to December, the lowest months. That is one of Murchison Falls National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 190 mm in October.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Plain 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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Plain Nightjar sightings, Murchison Falls National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tsavo West National Park (Kenya, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Plain Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Murchison Falls National Park (22 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.
