European nightjar: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the European nightjar lives – recorded in 37 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Caprimulgus europaeus
Group	Hummingbirds, swifts & nightjars
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	37 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe
Class	Bird
Order	Caprimulgiformes
Family	Caprimulgidae

Where does the European nightjar live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the European nightjar in 37 countries and territories across Africa, Asia and Europe. Wikidata gives its range as: Africa, Burkina Faso.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the European nightjar endangered?

The European nightjar’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the European nightjar?

The European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) is a bird in the order Caprimulgiformes and the family Caprimulgidae, genus Caprimulgus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the European nightjar

The European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus), common goatsucker, Eurasian nightjar or just nightjar is a crepuscular and nocturnal bird in the nightjar family that breeds across most of Europe and the Palearctic to Mongolia and Northwestern China. The Latin generic name refers to the old myth that the nocturnal nightjar suckled from 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. Their densely patterned grey and brown plumage makes individuals difficult to see in the daytime when they rest on the ground or perch motionless along a branch, although the male shows white patches in the wings and tail as he flies at night.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article European nightjar (revision 1370910523), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q26717 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).