Caprimulgus nigriscapularis is treated either as a separate species or as the northern subspecies of the Fiery-necked Nightjar, depending on the taxonomy used.
Jackson (2013) notes that the blackish-brown lesser coverts contrast with the rest of the wing. The crown tends to have fewer dark streaks than C. pectoralis, though these plumage differences are slight and variable.
It uses dense woodland, including gallery forest, and hunts above the canopy and in gaps.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.