Why Do Nightjars Sit on the Roads at Night?

Abstract

Observations have shown that night jars (Nyctidromus albicollis) sitting on the roads at night almost always sit nearer the edge than the centre and face the centre. Numbers on the road are influenced by moon phase being greatest near full moon and least at new moon. From these and other observations arguments are developed to show that night jars frequent the roads primarily to feed but also to use them as stations from which to call in establishing territories or in attracting mates.