The fiery-necked nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae, which is found mostly in Africa south of the equator, though it has been spotted in a few countries north of the equator. It is most often found in woodland savannas or other deciduous woodlands. It is usually distinguished by its tawny coloured collar which gives the species its common name. It has a distinctive call that many have rendered as 'good-lord-deliver-us'. The fiery-necked nightjar is an insectivorous species that mostly eats butterflies, moths and other insects. The fiery-necked nightjar breeds after the dry season and typically produce two clutches with two eggs per clutch.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across southern and parts of eastern Africa, with records from South Africa north through Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia (northeast), Zambia, Malawi, and into southern Tanzania and the southern DRC; occasional records extend just north of the equator. It favors woodland savannas, miombo and mopane woodlands, riparian thickets, and forest edges. It often uses open glades, tracks, and clearings for foraging. It avoids dense closed-canopy forest and extremely arid deserts, but tolerates semi-rural mosaics and farmland edges where trees and shrubs remain.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Named for its warm tawny collar, the fiery-necked nightjar is famed for a rhythmic call often rendered as “good-lord-deliver-us.” It nests directly on leaf litter with no built nest, relying on superb camouflage and a freeze response to avoid detection. Adults perform distraction displays to draw predators away from eggs or chicks. Like other nightjars, it has a wide, bristled gape that helps it snatch insects in flight at night.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
buoyant, moth-like flight with short rapid wingbeats and brief glides
Social Behavior
Mostly solitary outside the breeding pair. Nests on the ground without a constructed nest, typically laying two eggs on leaf litter after the dry season. Adults rely on camouflage and distraction displays to protect young. Pairs may raise two clutches in a season when conditions allow.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A clear, repetitive series often transcribed as “good-lord-deliver-us,” delivered at dusk and night from a perch or the ground. Also gives soft churrs, whistles, and wing-clapping display sounds during courtship.
