Blackish Nightjar

The blackish nightjar is 19.5 to 21.5 cm (7.7 to 8.5 in) long and weighs 32 to 39 g (1.1 to 1.4 oz). Its upperparts are blackish brown with tawny, grayish white, and cinnamon spots. Its tail is dark brown with indistinct lighter bars and mottling and (on the male) a white tip. The underparts to the belly are dark brown with paler baring; the belly and flanks are buffy with darker barring. The throat has a small white patch on either side. In flight the wing shows a small white band.

The blackish nightjar is found east of the Andes in Peru, Ecuador, and southern Colombia, and across southern Colombia through southern Venezuela and the Guianas into northeastern and north-central Brazil. They inhabit lowland evergreen forest, but are mostly found on or near open rock outcroppings or on sand and gravel bars along small rivers. In elevation it ranges from sea level in Brazil to 900 m (3,000 ft) in Bolivia, 800 m (2,600 ft) in Colombia, 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in Ecuador, and 1,100 m (3,600 ft) in Venezuela.

The blackish nightjar is crepuscular and nocturnal. It forages on the wing from dusk to dawn over rock outcrops and above the forest canopy. It has also been recorded on foot picking prey from large rocks. Its diet has not been detailed but is known to include moths and beetles. During the day it roosts on rocks or fallen trees.