Nightjar

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Nightjar in the UK

Nightjar is a summer visitor, arriving from Africa in late April and May and leaving in August and September. The last national survey, in 2004, found about 4,600 churring males. That was a 36% rise in 12 years, following a steep decline up to the late 1980s. The breeding range also grew by 18% between the 1988-91 and 2008-11 atlases. Most are in the southern half of Britain, on lowland heath and in felled or newly planted conifer forest, with smaller numbers in Wales, northern England and south-west Scotland. It is Amber-listed in the UK. Clearfell forestry and heathland restoration drove the recovery.

Where and when to see a Nightjar

Go to lowland heath or young conifer plantation on a warm, still, dry evening from late May to mid July. Arrive before sunset and wait: churring starts about half an hour after the sun goes down, and birds fly while there is still light in the sky. Good public sites include RSPB Arne in Dorset, RSPB Farnham Heath and Thursley Common in Surrey, the New Forest, Cannock Chase, Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, Thetford Forest and Budby South Forest in Sherwood. Nests are on bare ground, so stay on paths, keep dogs on leads and do not play recordings.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Heathland, clearfell.
Diet: Night-flying insects.
Field note: Churring song at dusk.

How to identify a Nightjar

The body is about Blackbird size, but the wings and tail are long, so in flight it suggests a small falcon or a Cuckoo. The plumage is a bark pattern of grey, brown and buff that hides a sitting bird completely. You will usually see a silhouette at dusk: silent, buoyant flight with glides on raised wings and sudden twists after moths. Males show white spots near the wingtips and white corners to the tail. Females lack the white. By day birds sit lengthways along a branch or on the ground with eyes almost shut.

Call and song

The song is a churr: a dry, mechanical purring that runs for minutes and shifts pitch as the bird turns its head. It sounds like a distant two-stroke engine. Flying birds give a frog-like 'coo-ick', and males clap their wings. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Common Grasshopper Warbler: Grasshopper Warbler also sings a long trill at dusk, but it is higher and thinner, like a fishing reel, and comes from low scrub.
• Common Cuckoo: A Cuckoo has a similar long-tailed shape but flies by day with shallow beats below the body and is plain grey above.
• Kestrel: A Kestrel hunting at dusk hovers in one spot, which a Nightjar never does for more than a second.

Month by month

A summer visitor, typically in the UK from May to August. Numbers peak in June. See the June birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in Bird migration in Britain.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Nightjar is an Uncommon tier bird, worth +3 points when you log one. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK.

Where to see it

Reserves where the Nightjar is on the list:

• RSPB Arne

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Egyptian NightjarLegendary · Open ground (very rare)
• Red-necked NightjarLegendary · Scrub
• Eurasian HobbyUncommon · Heathland
• WoodlarkUncommon · Heathland with scattered trees
• Eurasian Stone-curlewRare · Stony fields
• European StonechatCommon · Heathland

Nightjar: quick answers

Where can I see a Nightjar in the UK?

On heathland and in forest clearings, mostly in the southern half of England, with good numbers in Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, East Anglia and the Midlands forests. Many reserves and forest districts run guided evening walks in June, which is the easiest way in for a first-timer.

When is the best time to see Nightjar?

June, in the 45 minutes after sunset. Birds are back from late April, churring peaks from late May to mid July, and most have left by September. Pick a calm, mild evening, because wind and rain keep moths down and Nightjars quiet.

What does a Nightjar eat?

Moths and beetles, caught in flight at dusk and dawn. The bill looks tiny but opens into a very wide gape fringed with bristles. Birds often leave the heath to feed over nearby grassland and woodland edge.

Kit that helps

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