No.031 · Birds · Uncommon
Nightjar
Caprimulgus europaeus
A ghost-grey, ground-nesting night-bird whose churring song rolls across the heath at dusk. Hear it from late May to mid-August.
When to see a nightjar
May to August, mostly at dusk.
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- F
- M
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Time of day
- Dawn
- Day
- Dusk
- Night
Where to see a nightjar in the UK
- The New Forest. Open heath and young plantations across the Forest; the churring starts as the light drops.
Nightjar facts at a glance
- Best time
- Dusk and the hour after, late May–July, on warm, still, dry evenings. Nightjars arrive from mid-May and mostly leave by mid-August.
- Where in the game
- the New Forest (heath)
- Size
- Length 26–28 cm
- Wingspan
- About 60 cm
- Weight
- About 73 g (BTO average)
- Lifespan
- Oldest ringed bird 12 years 1 month (BTO)
- Population
- About 4,600 males in the UK (BTO, 2004 survey), up 36% on the 1992 survey
- Status
- Amber (Birds of Conservation Concern 5, 2021)
Diet
Moths, beetles and other night-flying insects caught in a wide, gaping mouth.
Habitat
Lowland heath and recently felled or young conifer plantations.
Breeding
Two eggs laid directly on the bare ground from late May; often two broods.
Field signs
- A long, continuous churring song like a distant motorbike, sometimes for minutes
- Sharp wing claps in display flight
- Sharp 'coo-ik' flight call
- Long silhouette, pointed wings, white wing and tail spots on the male
Did you know?
- Nightjars winter in Africa (BTO tracking has found them in the Democratic Republic of Congo) and are here from May to mid-August.
- Its camouflage on the ground is so good that you can nearly step on a sitting bird; it is a spot of grey bark and leaf litter.
- The New Forest holds roughly 15% of the UK's summer nightjars (Forestry England).
Moments worth waiting for
- Churring and wing-clapping
A male churrs from a dead branch, then flings up, clapping his wings twice like a whip crack.
Photo tip
Arrive an hour before sunset and settle at the edge of open heath. Shoot at high ISO with a fast lens, and use a tripod. Male wing-claps at dusk give the best chance; do not use white light.
Be a good naturalist
Stay on paths and out of nesting areas; a female flushed off two eggs leaves them exposed. During the ground-nesting bird season (March to late August), keep dogs under close control on tracks and on leads in signed areas (Forestry England). Never use playback or torches; they disturb feeding and can draw males from their territory.
The law
Not on Schedule 1, but protected as a wild bird under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (nests and eggs may not be taken or damaged) and listed on Annex 1 of the Birds Directive.
