The Pennant-winged Nightjar has a breeding male with long pennant-like feathers and catches insects in the air.
In breeding males, long pennant-like feathers extend from the outer wings. Nonbreeding males have white wing patches, while females lack those white patches.
It uses broad-leaved woodland and savanna on its breeding grounds, catching insects in flight. Some birds move seasonally within Africa.
In southern Africa it lays one or two eggs in an unlined shallow scrape, usually shaded by a tall tree. Only the female incubates, for about 15–18 days.
Males display their long pennants in flight, occasionally perching to call. The species is usually polygynous, with one male mating with several females.
At dusk and before dawn it catches beetles, moths, winged termites, and other insects over broad clearings. Recorded prey also include grasshoppers, crickets, and earwigs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.