Nightjar
| Irish Name: | Tuirne lín |
| Scientific name: | Caprimulgus europaeus |
| Bird Family: | Nightjar |
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Conservation status
Conservation status
Status
Rare and secretive summer visitor to uplands in southern Ireland.
Identification
Very rarely seen, owing to its nocturnal habits and highly-cryptic plumage. The body is grey brown, with extensive black streaking and a small white patch on the throat. The underparts are densely barred black. In flight, male Nightjars have distinctive white patches on the wing tips and the corners of the tail.
Voice
Most frequently heard is the rather unusual song, a continous "churring" given throughout the night. Sounds similar to the song of Grasshopper Warbler, which may also sing at night in similar habitat.
Diet
Feeds on insects caught in flight from dusk throughout the night.
Breeding
Only a handful of pairs breed in Ireland, usually on recently planted conifer plantations or clearfells in uplands. More widespread in Britain and Continental Europe.
Wintering
Winters in tropical Africa.
Monitored by
Localised and uncommon summer visitor. Winters in tropical Africa. There are no regular sites to see Nightjars in Ireland. Occasionally recorded as a passage migrant on Great Saltee Island in County Wexford.
