Updated
The standard-winged nightjar is famous for the breeding male’s unusual wing feathers: a single long shaft grows from each wing, bare for most of its length and ending in a broad flag or “standard”. In flight at dusk, the male looks as if two small birds are chasing it. In Uganda it is a dry-season visitor to savannah and woodland, seen mainly in the north and west, including Murchison Falls and Kidepo, roughly from the end of the year into the early months.
Standard-Winged Nightjar Uganda: The Extraordinary Display Bird
The display
At dusk, males fly slowly over open ground, the standards streaming behind them, to attract females. After the breeding season, the long feathers are broken off or moulted. Outside the display, both sexes are cryptically patterned in browns and greys and rest on the ground by day, almost invisible among dry leaves. They feed on moths and other flying insects caught at night.
Where to see it
Watch tracks and open areas at dusk in Murchison Falls north of the Nile and in Kidepo during the dry season; night drives give more chances. Timing varies between years, so ask local guides. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to night game drives, Murchison Falls, Kidepo and Uganda birding.
Frequently asked questions
Long wing feathers with bare shafts and flag-like tips, grown by breeding males.
Mainly in the dry season, from about the end of the year into the early months.
Murchison Falls and Kidepo, at dusk.
Moths and other flying insects.
