diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 6cd859f0..824b4ab2 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 # configure.ac
 
-# Miscellaneous bits.
 AC_INIT(tmux, 2.2)
 
 AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR(etc)
@@ -143,12 +142,23 @@ if test "x$found_libevent" = xno; then
 	AC_MSG_ERROR("libevent not found")
 fi
 
-# Look for curses.
-AC_SEARCH_LIBS(
-	setupterm,
-	[terminfo curses ncurses tinfo],
-	found_curses=yes,
-	found_curses=no
+# Look for ncurses
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES(
+	LIBNCURSES,
+	ncurses,
+	[
+		CPPFLAGS="$LIBNCURSES_CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS"
+		LIBS="$LIBNCURSES_LIBS $LIBS"
+		found_curses=yes
+	],
+	[
+		AC_SEARCH_LIBS(
+			setupterm,
+			[ncurses curses terminfo],
+			found_curses=yes,
+			found_curses=no
+		)
+	]
 )
 if test "x$found_curses" = xno; then
 	AC_MSG_ERROR("curses not found")
diff --git a/tty-term.c b/tty-term.c
index f536859e..21756e51 100644
--- a/tty-term.c
+++ b/tty-term.c
@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@
 
 #include <sys/types.h>
 
-#ifdef HAVE_CURSES_H
+#if defined(HAVE_CURSES_H)
 #include <curses.h>
-#else
+#elif defined(HAVE_NCURSES_H)
 #include <ncurses.h>
 #endif
 #include <fnmatch.h>