Eurasian Nightjar
Caprimulgus europaeus
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Caprimulgus europaeus
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Mass
~65 g
Habitat
Shrublands
Diet
Insects and invertebrates
How to recognize it
The Eurasian Nightjar is a quiet, hard-to-notice night-time inhabitant of open ground. By day it rests on the ground or lies lengthwise along a branch, blending into leaf litter and dry wood so well that it is easy to miss.
You are more likely to notice it by sound than by sight. At dusk, the male gives a long, steady churring song from a perch near woodland edges or clearings, and in flight it may give short calls and sharp wing-claps; when disturbed, it freezes or slips away suddenly.
It favors heaths, clearings, felled woodland, sandy pine woods, and other dry open places with some trees and bushes. It hunts flying insects and in most of its range leaves for Africa south of the Sahara in winter.
Quick Facts
Listen to the call
The Eurasian Nightjar is a quiet, hard-to-notice night-time inhabitant of open ground. By day it rests on the ground or lies lengthwise along a branch, blending into leaf litter and dry wood so well that it is easy to miss.
You are more likely to notice it by sound than by sight. At dusk, the male gives a long, steady churring song from a perch near woodland edges or clearings, and in flight it may give short calls and sharp wing-claps; when disturbed, it freezes or slips away suddenly.
It favors heaths, clearings, felled woodland, sandy pine woods, and other dry open places with some trees and bushes. It hunts flying insects and in most of its range leaves for Africa south of the Sahara in winter.
How to recognize it
Sources
- eBird — Caprimulgus europaeus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — European nightjar Encyclopedia article