Caprimulgus donaldsoni
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Donaldson Smith's nightjar (Caprimulgus donaldsoni) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. It was named in honor of the 19th-century American explorer Arthur Donaldson Smith. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar sighting in Tsavo East National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 243rd most-seen of the 345 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.
February and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar in Tsavo East National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and July–January, the lowest months. Those are among Tsavo East National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 130 mm in November.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Donaldson-Smith's 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.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar sightings, Tsavo East National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Meru National Park (Kenya, about 10%) and Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo East 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.
