Page 249 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

NIGHTJARS
Order Caprimulgiformes Family Caprimulgidae Species Caprimulgus europaeus
Nightjar long, narrow
wings
bright white spots
near wingtips
long tail
MALE FEMALE

barred, mottled, white marks flat head
and spotted grey- on cheek
brown body tiny bill
white
corners
to tail

elongated
body and tail

FEMALE MALE
IN FLIGHT
FLIGHT: light, buoyant, erratic, floating and drifting
ne of Europe’s most charismatic small birds, the Nightjar sings or bounding with quick, deep wingbeats; sometimes
Oat dusk with a remarkable prolonged, purring trill. It hawks twists and turns like dead leaf.
quite low over heathland and around clumps of trees or
isolated bushes and quite frequently flies over to quiet, still
observers to fly around them in the same way, seeking moths.
It is difficult to find by day and sadly the full effect of its
beautiful, cryptic plumage cannot often be appreciated.
VOICE Deep, nasal, mechanical gooik; song fantastic
prolonged churr, varying abruptly in pitch; a soft purr at long
range, harder, more wooden rattle close-up,
prrrrrrrrooorrrrrrrprrrrrrrrooorrrrrrrrrr.
NESTING Unlined scrape on ground; 2 eggs; 1 or 2 broods;
May–July. ADULT BY NEST
FEEDING Catches insects, mainly moths, in flight, using The “dead leaf” or bark-like camouflage makes a nesting
broad wide-open gape, mostly at dusk and dawn. Nightjar exceptionally difficult to find.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Very local and erratic throughout
GRASSHOPPER WARBLER Europe except N Britain, Iceland,
higher song with rufous
sharper trill; collar and N Scandinavia, on heaths
see p.328 and open ground with low
undergrowth or clearings in
forested regions. Migrates to
Africa in winter.
RED-NECKED NIGHTJAR
different song; Seen in the UK
see p.436 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 26–28cm (10–11in) Wingspan 54–60cm (21 1 ⁄2 –23 1 ⁄2in) Weight 75–100g (2 5 ⁄8 –3 5 ⁄8oz)
Social Solitary Lifespan Up to 10 years Status Declining†
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