Nocturnal Birds: Species, Song & Behaviour

Many birds can be observed during the day. But some bird species are also or even exclusively on the move at night. Which birds are nocturnal? How do they behave? And which bird sings at night? We answer this below.

When we think of nocturnal birds, the first thing that comes to mind are owls, the hunters of the night. Although very few of us have actually ever seen an owl, everyone knows the somewhat ominous birds with the big eyes. And although owls make up a large part of our native nocturnal birds, the somewhat inconspicuous species are often forgotten. In fact, in addition to owls, there are other nocturnal bird species and even songbirds that light up the night with their lovely songs in the summer months.

Which birds are nocturnal?

The classic image of a nocturnal bird is embodied by the eagle owl (

Bubo bubo), which with a wingspan of up to 170 cm is the largest representative of our native owls. But not all owls follow this example. The Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) for example, with its 15 to 19 cm is no larger than a star.

Other representatives of our native owls are:

• the Tawny Owl (Aegolius funereus)
• the long-eared owl (Asio otus)
• the tawny owl (Strix aluco)
• the barn owl (Tyto alba)
• the little owl (Athena noctua)

Another nocturnal bird family are the nightjars (Caprimulgidae), of which only the nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) is native to us. The nightjar is a very inconspicuous bird that is perfectly camouflaged by its bark-colored feathers.

Nocturnal Birds: Behavior

The behavior of nocturnal birds is not very different from that of their diurnal relatives. Basically, the animals have just chosen a temporal niche in which they do not have to compete with the majority of other bird species for food or singing times. Owls hunt by night, much like birds of prey by day, and are equipped with certain beneficial traits for this purpose, such as their large, light-sensitive eyes. Nightjars, on the other hand, feed on nocturnal insects, such as moths, and therefore do not compete with other insectivorous birds, which differ mainly from diurnal feed insects.

Nocturnal songbirds also have the advantage that the quiet of the night carries their song far and is not overshadowed by the numerous bird calls of diurnal birds.

The nocturnal bird species sleep during the day and can only be spotted very rarely. Almost all nocturnal birds are extremely well camouflaged and move little during the day, making them very inconspicuous. Despite this, they never sleep very deeply and are always ready to flee when threatened.

Which bird sings at night?

One of the few songbirds that actually sings at night is the nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos).

You can listen to the song of the nightingale here:

The small, inconspicuous bird has one of the loudest bird calls among songbirds. Its melodious song resounds from late evening to early morning during the breeding season and has inspired many a poet and writer.

tip: You wonder why birds sing at all? You can find the answer in our article “Why do birds chirp?“.

Other bird calls that can be heard after dusk are those of the partridge (Perdix perdix), the corncrake (Crex crex) or that of the field warbler (Locustella naevia).

Another bird that can be heard at night is the tawny owl. However, no song can be heard, but the characteristic call of the tawny owl.

The call of the tawny owl sounds like this:

While the nightingale uses the darkness to sing, most birds are asleep during this time. Where birds sleep and how the animals protect themselves from the cold of the night in winter, you can find out in our special article.