Caprimulgus fraenatus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The sombre nightjar or dusky nightjar (Caprimulgus fraenatus) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is native to East Africa. Wikipedia →
Recording0:16
Kenya · 2022
© Tobby Odhacha · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sombre Nightjar sighting in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 298th most-seen of the 380 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.
April
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sombre Nightjar in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months. That is one of Tsavo West National Park's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 5 mm in July.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sombre 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.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Sombre Nightjar sightings, Tsavo West National Park has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Nairobi National Park (Kenya, under 5%) and Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sombre Nightjar is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo West National Park (17 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.
