#0770 · 🐦 birds
Eurasian Nightjar
🇳🇱 Nachtzwaluw ·Caprimulgus europaeus
7 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
what is it?
The European nightjar , Eurasian nightjar or just nightjar ( Caprimulgus europaeus ) is a crepuscular and nocturnal bird in the nightjar family that breeds across most of Europe and temperate Asia. The Latin generic name refers to the old myth that the nocturnal nightjar suckled goats, causing them to cease to give milk. The six subspecies differ clinally, the birds becoming smaller and paler towards the east of the range. All populations are migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 39 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 6,274 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Eurasian Nightjar
- Nederlands
- Nachtzwaluw
- scientific name
- Caprimulgus europaeus
- class
- Aves
- order
- Caprimulgiformes
- family
- Caprimulgidae
- IUCN Red List
- LC · least concern
- sightings in NL
- 39
- sightings in Europe
- 3,889
- sightings worldwide
- 6,274
- GBIF records in NL
- 14,890
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
relatives· Caprimulgidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 19410, Wikidata Q26717, GBIF 8109681, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.