Nigel Cleere has been fascinated by nightjars for more than 60 years, travelling widely to study species in Europe, North and South America, Africa and the Middle East. He worked extensively for the Natural History Museum Bird Group and has examined specimens of all nightjar taxa, including type material, eggs and skeletons, and much of the published work and original descriptions. He is the author or co-author of numerous papers and books about nightjar ecology, taxonomy and nomenclature.