🐦

European Nightjar

Caprimulgus europaeus

Least Concern
Flügelspannweite
36,6 cm
Gewicht
75,83333333333333 g
Familie
Caprimulgidae
Ordnung
Caprimulgiformes
On this page

Über uns

A medium Caprimulgidae nightjar (~76 g) breeding across Eurasia from Britain to central Siberia in open heath, scrub, and pine plantations. Males produce a sustained mechanical churring song at dusk. Long-distance migrant wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. Feeds on moths and beetles. Least Concern despite local heathland declines.

Physical Description

Measurement Value Imperial
Flügelspannweite 36,6 cm 14.4 in
Gewicht 75,83333333333333 g 2.67 oz

Identifizierung

Gefieder

Grey-brown and buff mottled with intricate dark vermiculations; male has white spots on outer primaries and white outer tail corners; plain grey head with pale supercilium; female lacks white wing and tail markings.

Habitat & Range

Geografisches Verbreitungsgebiet

Breeds across Europe and western Asia from Britain to Lake Baikal; long-distance migrant wintering in sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to East Africa.

Diet & Feeding

Hawks moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and night over European heathland, forest edge, and open woodland.

Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern
IUCN Red List

Verhalten & Brutverhalten

Nistverhalten

Nest type: NO. Incubation: 17-21 days. Fledging: 16-17 days.

Gelegegröße

1-2

Lautgebung

Gesang

Long, mechanical churring trill; sustained 'errrrrr' switching pitch between two notes; unique ventriloquial quality; calls from heath at dusk; alarm a sharp 'coo-ic'

Taxonomie

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes (Nachtschwalben und Segler)
Familie Caprimulgidae (Nachtschwalben)
Genus Caprimulgus
Arten Caprimulgus europaeus

Distribution

European Nightjar has been recorded in 6 countries.

{# Distribution Map — simplified SVG world map with highlighted countries. Expects `country_codes` variable: list of ISO alpha-2 codes (e.g. ["US", "CA", "MX"]). Uses Alpine.js to toggle classes on country paths. #}
Vorhanden Not recorded
{# Simplified country/region shapes — major landmasses with ISO alpha-2 data attributes. These are simplified polygon representations for visual distribution display. #}

countries highlighted

External Databases

Häufig gestellte Fragen

What does the European Nightjar eat?
Hawks moths, beetles, and flying insects at dusk and night over European heathland, forest edge, and open woodland.
Where does the European Nightjar live?
Breeds across Europe and western Asia from Britain to Lake Baikal; long-distance migrant wintering in sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to East Africa.
Is the European Nightjar endangered?
The European Nightjar has a conservation status of Least Concern.
How does the European Nightjar nest?
Nest type: NO. Incubation: 17-21 days. Fledging: 16-17 days.
What does the European Nightjar sound like?
Long, mechanical churring trill; sustained 'errrrrr' switching pitch between two notes; unique ventriloquial quality; calls from heath at dusk; alarm a sharp 'coo-ic'
How big is the European Nightjar?
The European Nightjar has a wingspan of 36.6 cm, weight of 75.83333333333333 g.
What order and family does the European Nightjar belong to?
The European Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) belongs to the order Caprimulgiformes and the family Caprimulgidae.

Similar Birds

Other species in the Caprimulgidae family

Vergleichen

Explore More

Explore the Nature FYI Family