Scientific name: Caprimulgus europaeus Linnaeus, 1758
Bird group: Nightjars
Field characters. 27 cm. Usually heard only. Plumage cryptically coloured with grey, brown and black bars and streaks. Buff spots on upperparts. Male has white spots on outer tail feathers and white subterminal spots on wing tips. Large flat head with very small bill but huge mouth. Long pointed wings and long tail give the impression of a small falcon. Hides during daytime on the ground or sits parallel on a branch and is almost invisible due to its camouflage colouring. Active at dusk and at night. Nests on the ground.
Voice. Song an endless churring 'errrrrrrrrr orrrrrrrrrrr'; call 'koo-ik'. During display also claps its wings.
Distribution. Summer visitor. Locally common, but decreasing due to habitat destruction and disturbance.
Habitat. Dry open woodland, forest clearings, and heather and moorland with scattered trees and bushes.
Food. Insectivorous. Mainly moths and beetles, captured in active flight or from perch, like a flycatcher.