When at rest the golden nightjar appears large headed and the upperparts and wing coverts are tawny buff marked with greyish-white, dark brown edged and speckled, square shaped spots.

[3] The golden nightjar's song is low pitched churr which may last quite a long time and is delivered at dawn and dusk from the ground.

[3] In 2015 a female golden nightjar was seen and it, or another, was later found dead in southern Western Sahara and in 2016 a number of birds were noted in the same area suggesting that it may host a breeding population.

The golden nightjar occurs in arid steppes and semi-desert, also on rock, gravelly or stony terrain with clumps of vegetation.

[3] The golden nightjar is active at dawn and dusk and through the night, roosting on the ground during the day and tending to shuffle out of the way of approaching animals rather than flushing.