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BTO Blueline
NIGHTJAR
Caprimulgus europaeus

Nightjar © Derek Belsey
 

• Population
  changes

• Productivity
  trends

• Additional
  information
Conservation listings
Europe: SPEC category 2, (declining)
UK: red (>50% distribution decline)
UK Biodiversity Action Plan: click here
Long-term trend
UK: uncertain 
UK population size
3,400 males in 1992 (Morris et al. 1994: BiE04, APEP06); 4,600 males in 2004 (Conway et al. 2007)
Status summary
Following a catastrophic decline in range of more than 50% of 10-km squares between breeding atlases, the 1992 national survey revealed a welcome increase of 50% in population size since 1981, probably due to increased availability of young forest habitat as plantations were felled and replanted (Morris et al. 1994). A National Nightjar Survey in 2004 revealed that a further 36% increase had taken place in the UK population in 12 years, with a 2.6% increase in the number of 10-km squares occupied (Conway et al. 2007). There was evidence of population declines and range contractions since 1992, however, in North Wales, northwest England, and Scotland. The apparent increase in nest failure rates, especially at the chick stage in the period up to 1995, is probably an artefact of very small sample sizes in the early years. A recent study suggests that nest failure is more likely in areas heavily frequented by walkers and dogs (Langston et al. 2007).
 

Population changes
Annual population changes are not monitored for this species
 

Productivity trends
Clutch size graph
Brood size graph
Egg nest failure graph
Chick nest failure graph

Laying date graph

 

 

Insufficient data on CES
available for this species

 
 

Additional information
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This report should be cited as:
Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Crick, H.Q.P., Noble, D.G., Balmer, D.E., Barimore, C., Coombes, R.H.,
Downie, I.S., Freeman, S.N., Joys, A.C., Leech, D.I., Raven, M.J., Robinson, R.A. & Thewlis, R.M. (2007)
Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2007.
BTO Research Report No. 487. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends)

Pages maintained by Susan Waghorn and Iain Downie: Last updated 7 November, 2008