Nightjars are a group of nocturnal birds in the family Caprimulgidae that are known for their characteristic “churring” or whirring calls. They have cryptically colored plumage that allows them to blend into their surroundings and long pointed wings adapted for continuous flight while catching insects on the wing. Nightjars are found around the world, often in open habitats such as grasslands, savannas, and open woodlands.
Throughout history and across many cultures, nightjars have accumulated a rich set of folklore, mythology, and superstition surrounding them. This is likely due to their haunting calls, secretive nature, and tendency to be active at night when most other birds are sleeping.
Association with the Supernatural
In many cultures, nightjars have been linked to the supernatural world of magic, spirits, and omens due to their nocturnal habits and mysterious presence. These associations persist into modern times.
In Europe, nightjars were often thought to be possessed by demons or evil spirits. The German name for the European nightjar, Ziegenmelker (“goatsucker”) comes from an old myth that nightjars sucked milk from goats at night, leaving their udders empty. In France, they were called Crapaud volant (“flying toad”) because people thought they had magical powers like toads. Slavic folklore held that nightjars brought disease and misfortune if their calls were ignored.
In many parts of Africa, nightjars are respected and even feared for their magical associations. Among the Xhosa people, nightjars are thought to embody ancestral spirits and their calls are interpreted as warnings or messages. Killing or harming them is believed to bring bad luck. The Zulu honor the nightjar as a sacred bird, connecting its mournful-sounding call to grief and the ancestral realm.
In South and Central America, indigenous groups such as the Aztecs and Mayans considered the nightjar a supernatural entity and harbinger of death. The nightjar’s habit of nesting on the ground made it an earthly symbol and its calls were thought to represent the voices of the dead.
In India and parts of Southeast Asia, nightjars play a role in sacred legends and myths. They are featured in Hindu folk tales and associated with ghosts, darkness, and omens, both good and bad. Their calls are thought to signify upcoming events or reveal ghosts and spirits.
Mimicry
Across many cultures, nightjars are also known for their ability to mimic other sounds, adding an eerie quality to their presence. This auditory trickery has inspired myths and superstitions around the world.
In Europe and America, nightjars were once thought to steal milk from goats and sheep or even directly from the teat of sleeping animals. This myth likely arose from the nightjar’s ability to mimic bleating sounds.
In Africa and South America, nightjars are thought by many groups to mimic human speech and repeat the name of the person who hears it as an omen, sometimes of their impending death. Their calls are thought to lure unwary people into danger.
Some Native American tribes believed nightjars could cryptically repeat the last words or imitate the voices of the dead. Hearing the mimicry was considered a bad omen.
In Australia, Aboriginal groups recognized the nightjar’s ability to mimic. Their calls are interpreted as symbolic representations of spirits, good and evil.
Harbingers of Doom
Across cultures, nightjars are often viewed as harbingers of death or messengers of doom when encountered or heard at inopportune times. Their secretive, eerie nature adds to their menacing reputation.
In Europe of the Middle Ages and later, hearing a nightjar’s shriek or encountering one unexpectedly, especially during the day, was seen as an omen of impending death or disaster. For miners, meeting a nightjar meant a cave-in was imminent.
The Aztecs considered the nightjar’s cry at inauspicious times like sunrise or sunset as a call to prepare for death. Soldiers heading to battle hoped to not hear the chilling sound beforehand.
In India, the nightjar has long been reviled as a bird of ill omen. Hearing its calls near the house foretells a death in the family. Disturbing its roosting ground can cause calamity for an entire village.
In Madagascar, a nightjar call near the window at night signals the imminent death of someone inside the home. The bird is referred to as “the bird of death.”
Guardians and Guides
However, nightjars have also been cast in a more positive light in some folklore traditions, being seen as guardians, guides, and bringers of fertility.
Some Native American tribes considered the nightjar a protective spirit for individuals and villages. Its presence deterred evil spirits and prevented nightmares when people slept.
In African folklore, nightjars may warn people of danger or lead them to safety in the night, rewarding those who heed their calls.
For the San people of southern Africa, the nightjar is sacred for guiding shamans to supernatural realms and imbuing them with power for healing rituals.
In Australian Aboriginal mythology, the calls of the nightjar signaled fertility and fruition. Women would listen for them as portents during matchmaking rituals.
Weather Divination
Folk traditions around the world have also looked to the nightjar for weather divination. As creatures intimately tied to atmospheric conditions, nightjar behaviors were seen as prophetic for predicting rainfall, wind, and storms.
In Europe, farmers used the fluting calls of nightjars to foretell rainfall or drought. More calls signaled wetter weather ahead and fewer meant dry conditions were coming.
Some African groups interpreted the intensity, duration, pitch, and timing of nightjar calls as omens for rainfall within a certain number of days.
Certain indigenous South American groups believed specific nightjar calls warned of impending storms, wind, or still air. This guided decisions around travel, hunting, and community preparations.
In India, variations in nightjar cries are thought to indicate coming weather shifts–their agitated, loud calls signal a storm on its way.
Names and Taxonomy
The rich cultural mythology surrounding nightjars is reflected in their diverse common names used worldwide.
In Europe, their folkloric associations resulted in names like “goatsucker,” “night raven,” “lizard hawk,” “corpse bird,” and “ghost bird.”
In Africa, nightjars accumulated names like “bird of death,” “devil bird,” “witch bird,” and “magic bird” among certain groups.
Indigenous North American names included “corpse whistler,” “witch bird,” and “ghost caller.”
In South America, the Mapuche people named them “calcalko” meaning “the one who weeps and laughs,” referring to their human-like vocalizations.
Across Australia, Aboriginal terms referenced the supernatural, spirits, and omens, like “moopoke” meaning “heart breaker.”
Even the Caprimulgidae scientific family name traces back to the Latin “capra mulgere” meaning “goat milker,” referencing an ancient European myth.
Significance in Culture
While nightjars have an ominous reputation in much folklore, they have also been revered and play an important cultural role for many societies.
As creatures often active at twilight and dusk, nightjars signify the transition between day and night in mythology. They bridge the visible world and the realm of spirits, darkness, and dreams.
Their calls are mournful and haunting, but also signal changing seasons, weather patterns, and times for rituals. They communicate messages from ancestors and the natural world.
Nightjars reflect the mystery and magic innate in the environment for cultures lacking the understandings of modern science. While misconceptions arose, nightjars still filled vital symbolic and spiritual niches.
These birds of the night sky inspire human imagination across time and geography like few other species.
Conclusion
Nightjars hold a unique place in the folklore, mythologies, and cultural traditions among diverse peoples throughout the world. With their cryptic nature and eerie voices, nightjars accumulate rich layers of symbolism, meaning, and spiritual significance.
They act as harbingers, guides, and communicators with other realms. Though often reviled, they fill vital societal roles and provide insight into relationships between human and animal worlds, seen and unseen. The ancient voices of nightjars continue to haunt, fascinate, and inspire.