Nightjars (England’s Summer visitors from Africa)

Nightjars are summer visitors, returning each year to heathlands and open woodland in southern England. During the daytime, their camouflaged feathers keep them hidden from view.

At dusk, they arrive with strange churring calls, hunting moths and insects. Mysterious and cryptic, nightjars fly close to the ground and rest hidden in leaf litter.

Read our posts on creating safe havens for garden birds, and help to stop birds flying into windows.

Arriving around April or May, they are mostly found in southern English heathlands and young conifer forests. They are almost impossible to spot, as they nest on the ground, blending in with leaf litter and bark.

They have tiny beaks but enormous wide mouths to catch moths and beetles mid-air. They also lay their eggs directly on the ground, making them vulnerable to disturbance.

Males display to females, by flying around and clapping their wings together! Though numbers are recovering, nightjars are still a conservation concern.