Caprimulgus poliocephalus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The montane nightjar (Caprimulgus poliocephalus), mountain nightjar or Abyssinian nightjar, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is native to upland regions of Central and Eastern Africa where it is a locally common species.
The Montane nightjar was originally described by the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell in 1840. He used the current binomial name Caprimulgus poliocephalus. The subspecies C. p. ruwenzorii was formerly sometimes treated as a separate species, the Ruwenzori nightjar. Although a molecular genetic study of these four nightjars has not been published, the results of the detailed measurement of museum specimens suggests that they should be considered as conspecific.
The montane nightjar is a rather dark nightjar growing to a length of about 23 cm (9.1 in). It has somewhat tawny, blackish or chocolate brown... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 5 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Volcanoes National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 8 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Addis Ababa | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Abyssinian Nightjar sighting in Nairobi National Park on a given day, based on 84 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 240th most-seen of the 371 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, May–June and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Abyssinian Nightjar in Nairobi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, July–September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Abyssinian 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.
Among the best
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Abyssinian Nightjar sightings, Nairobi National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Aberdare National Park (Kenya, under 5%) and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Abyssinian Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Nairobi National Park (84 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.
