An increasingly rare and difficult species to find, though funnily enough we have more of them around us here at the Quinta than the more common European Nightjar as it does not seem to be so tied to pine forests on sandy soils. Red-necked Nightjars can be found sitting on the tracks and roads at night and can be heard as it has an easy and distinguishable call, "ktok, ktok, ktok, ktok". In 2017 we had a Red-necked Nightjar calling from 20 mts behind the Quinta while a European Nightjar called from 20 mts just in front ... difficult to get to sleep of course, but there were no complaints!
Occasionally, (very occasionally I should say), one can find them sitting on the ground in amongst the dried grass and brush, but it's more often that one will explode from under your feet as they are the true masters of camouflage and wont budge until you're within a couple of feet.
Arrives in April and leaves in September.
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