A nocturnal insectivore and one of the two species within the genera Caprimulgus that breed in Europe (the other being Red-necked Nightjar which is confined to Iberia). This species is migratory and winters in the Afrotropics. Food is primarily moths and flying beetles which are caught on the wing; it relies on its cryptic colouration for camouflage during daylight. A bird of dry, open habitat such as scrub, heathland or forestry clearances this species has undergone a severe population reduction (particulalry in NW Europe) in the latter half of the 20th century. The scientific name reflects the folk name of this bird, Goatsucker, as it was populalrly believed in the past to drink milk during the night from Goats' udders. Another distinctive feature of this bird is the strange churring frog-like song it makes from nightfall on. Its Irish name - An Tuirne Lín (Spinning Wheel) - derives from the similarity of the song to the sound of a spinning wheel. Formerly widespread, but thinly distributed in Ireland (it bred on Howth Head up to the 1950s for example), it has undergone a severe population crash since, with possibly no more than 10 pairs now breeding.