The European Nightjar rests on the ground by day, blending in with mottled plumage, then catches moths and other insects in flight at dusk.
Its gray and brown mottled plumage resembles bark. It has a flat head, large dark eyes, and a wide mouth.
In Britain, it arrives from Africa in late spring and breeds on heathland, moorland, and woodland clearings. It catches flying insects at dusk and returns to sub-Saharan wintering grounds in late summer.
In Britain it usually lays two eggs on secluded bare ground. Both sexes incubate, typically for 18 days. The chicks are downy, with a typical fledging period of 17.5–18.5 days.
At dusk the male gives a continuous mechanical churring song, sometimes moving its head and accompanying the song with wing clapping.
In flight it shows pointed wings and a long tail.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.