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Birds by name

Nightjar

Conservation status: Red

Nightjars are nocturnal birds and can be seen hawking for food at dusk and dawn. With pointed wings and a long tails their shape is similar to a kestrel or cuckoo. Their cryptic, grey-brown, mottled, streaked and barred plumage provides ideal camouflage in the daytime. They have an almost supernatural reputation with their silent flight and their mythical ability to steal milk from goats. The first indication that a nightjar is near is usually the male's churring song, rising and falling with a ventriloquial quality.

Overview

Latin name

Caprimulgus europaeus

Family

Nightjars (Caprimulgidae)

Where to see them

Found on heathlands, moorlands, in open woodland with clearings, and in recently felled conifer plantations. Most numerous in southern England with good numbers in the New Forest, Dorset and Surrey heathlands, and Thetford forest in Suffolk. Also found in parts of Wales, northern England and SW Scotland. RSPB reserves with nightjars are: Arne, Dorset; Aylesbeare, Devon; and Minsmere and North Warren, Suffolk.

When to see them

Arrives in the UK between late April to mid-May, they are best looked and listened for at dusk on warm, still, summer evenings. They mainly leave in August and September.

What they eat

Insects - moths and beetles.

Population

EuropeUK breeding*UK wintering*UK passage*
-4,606 males--

* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.

Distribution

Key

Please note that the map is only intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.

Illustrations

Audio

Niels Krabbe, Xeno-canto

Characteristics

Nightjar

Nightjar - male
  • Size: between blackbird-pigeon
  • Feather colours: brown, white, grey, cream/buff
  • Beak colours: black/dark grey
  • Beak length: short
  • Beak thickness: short
  • Leg colour: black/grey, brown
  • Behaviour: on ground, bird walks/runs on the ground, catches insects in flight

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