Chordeiles rupestris
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The sand-colored nighthawk (Chordeiles rupestris) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Major taxonomic systems recognize two subspecies of sand-colored nighthawk, the nominate Chordeiles rupestris rupestris and C. r. xylostictus. However, at least two authors contend it is better treated as monotypic.
The sand-colored nighthawk is 20.5 to 22 cm (8.1 to 8.7 in) long. Its upperparts are pale grayish brown with darker brown streaks, bars, and spots. The chin and throat are white to buffy white, the breast grayish white with a cinnamon tinge and brown bars and spots, and the belly white with brown spots on its upper part. The underside of the wing is also mostly white.
The nominate subspecies of sand-colored nighthawk is found widely in northwestern Amazonia of southeastern Colombia, southwestern Venezuela, northeastern Peru, and northwestern Brazil. It is also found more narrowly along river corridors in eastern Ecuador, Peru, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil. C. r. xylostictus is found only in Colombia's Cundinamarca... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 5 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sand-colored Nighthawk sighting in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, based on 167 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 231st most-seen of the 550 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June and August–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sand-colored Nighthawk in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in July and December–April, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sand-colored Nighthawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Sand-colored Nighthawk sightings, Tambopata National Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sand-colored Nighthawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Tambopata National Reserve (167 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.
