The Eurasian nightjar typically lives from four to seven years, although the maximum recorded lifespan is eleven years and eleven months, with a theoretical lifespan ranging from eight years and seven months to eleven years; the species reaches sexual maturity between nine months and one week and one year and three months. An embryo develops inside an egg, and the nestling stage, lasting from one day to two weeks and four days, concludes when the young leave the nesting site. Following the initial flight, the rapid-growth juvenile stage lasts from two weeks and five days to one year. The adult stage, during which the bird is capable of reproduction, lasts from one to twelve years.