Chestnut tones on the sides of its head and wings, plus a pale shoulder bar, identify this nocturnal nightjar.
The sides of the head and the coverts are strongly chestnut. Pale edging on the black-and-chestnut shoulder feathers forms a light bar.
It hunts insects at dusk and night, flying low with a fast, erratic path. It is usually solitary but may gather in groups of dozens outside the breeding season.
Its repeated two-syllable song sounds like “tui triou”, with a rising first syllable and a falling second.
A broad rufous collar crosses the hindneck. Both males and females have white in the outer flight feathers and outer tail feathers.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.