Chordeiles pusillus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The least nighthawk (Chordeiles pusillus) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. The least nighthawk was formally described in 1861 by the English ornithologist John Gould based on a specimen collected in the Brazilian state of Bahia. Gould coined the current binomial name Chordeiles pusillus. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "tiny" or "very small". Early in the 20th century the least nighthawk was assigned to its own genus, Nannochordeiles, but since the middle of the century has been included in Chordeiles.
Six subspecies are recognised: Two specimens from northeastern Argentina might... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Least Nighthawk sighting in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 150th most-seen of the 294 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Least Nighthawk in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July and September, the lowest months. That is one of Serra da Canastra National Park's wettest months, with about 250 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Least Nighthawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Least Nighthawk sightings, Serra da Canastra National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Chapada Diamantina National Park (Brazil, under 5%).
Same family: Caprimulgidae
The closest relatives of the Least Nighthawk that you can see in Serra da Canastra National Park (family Caprimulgidae, Nightjars and Allies) are Common Pauraque (about 10%) and Scissor-tailed Nightjar (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Least Nighthawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Serra da Canastra National Park (53 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.
