A nocturnal nightjar of East African woodland and savanna. It has a slender body and slightly elongated central tail feathers.
It is slender, with central tail feathers longer than the outer ones. Dark streaks mark its gray-brown plumage; males have white wing spots and females have buff markings.
It is nocturnal and catches flying insects in the air. It uses woodland, savanna, scrub, and thornbush, and may spend the day on the ground.
It flies low and alights on rocks, stumps or bare ground, catching insects around lights. By day it roosts beneath shrubs and flies a short distance when disturbed.
It builds no nest, laying its eggs directly on bare ground, usually beneath a bush.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.