Mythical ‘goatsucker’ bird makes South Downs comeback

They are one of Britain’s most elusive birds, known for their ‘churring’ song when darkness falls and a supernatural reputation thanks to their mythical ability to steal milk from goats.

Now the nightjar is making a remarkable comeback in the South Downs National Park, thanks to nature recovery efforts and better habitat management.

Since recording began in the late 1990s, 2025 was a record year for the camouflaged bird, which migrates every spring to fly 4,000 miles from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the lowland heaths of East Hampshire in the National Park.

An ecological survey revealed 109 nightjar territories – the most ever recorded in the ‘Special Protection Area’ that includes Woolmer Forest and the Commons of Shortheath, Bramshott, Ludshott, Broxhead and Kingsley.

The population is estimated to have doubled in the past five years and there has been a significant increase from just last year when 78 were recorded.

The boom is being put down to sustained efforts by a heathland restoration initiative led by the National Park Authority, East Hampshire District Council, Whitehill Town Council, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, the MoD, the Deadwater Valley Trust and several other partners.

Work has focused on protecting and increasing lowland heath, which provides perfect ground-nesting sites for nightjars.

Engagement rangers have also been out in the landscape over the past decade, encouraging people to care for the landscape, including keeping dogs on leads, picking up dog poo and sticking to pathways to avoid disturbing the nightjars and other wildlife.

The resurgence of nightjars has been paralleled by revivals in woodlarks and Dartford warblers, which are also showing promising increases in numbers.

As ground-nesting bird season begins this March, Kirsty Murray, an engagement ranger for heathlands, encouraged people to keep on caring for these rare habitats, which are also havens for some of Britain’s rarest snakes, lizards, frogs and toads.

“The results of the ecological report are so inspiring and really show what we can achieve together to help biodiversity bounce back. It’s largely down to the hard work of the land managers on these sites,” said Kirsty.

“These lowland heaths were once widespread across the South Downs but now make up just one per cent of the National Park. They are actually as rare as the rainforest, supporting some of the UK’s rarest species, so it’s really important we care for the habitats that remain.

“It’s wonderful to hear the nightjars churring away as dusk falls and we’re looking forward to continuing this incredibly positive conservation work alongside local communities and our partners.”

Many of the sites are owned by the MoD and actively used for military training, but the MoD facilitate conservation work on the Defence Training Estate. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation directly manage some MoD land, like Broxhead Common, for wildlife, benefitting species such as the nightjar.

The nightjar is listed as an Amber species under the Red List for Birds, meaning it is a species of conservation concern. Nightjars were once much more common and widespread than today. The loss of open woodland and heathland to agriculture and development caused numbers to dramatically fall by 51 per cent across the UK between 1972 and 1992.

Nightjars are crepuscular birds and can be seen hunting for food at dusk and dawn. It comes to breed in Britain normally between April and August.

The bird is known by many names – the Fern Owl, the Wheeler, the Nightchurr and the Dor-Hawk. But the oddest is the Goatsucker.

Long ago it was thought nightjars would drink milk directly from goats, poisoning them so their udders wasted away and they went blind. The myth was once common in many countries all over Europe. The legend probably arose from the fact that nightjars were coming close to livestock because they were hunting insects nearby.

For more information about heathlands and events and activities coming up visit southdowns.gov.uk/help-your-heaths/

For more information about the National Park’s Take The Lead campaign around responsible dog walking visit southdowns.gov.uk/take-the-lead/ Follow social media #TaketheLead to keep up with campaign news.