Fill in the Blanks English Online version fill in the blank please by Natalie Danee Hay 1 on makes both blend based The nightjar's soft plumage and variegated colouring help it in with its surrounds , but it is the bird's own judgement in choosing the most sympathetic background that it a camouflage champion . Each bird chooses where to nest its specific patterns and colours , says camouflage researcher Martin Stevens , of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter in Cornwall . " Each individual bird looks a little bit different , " he says . " This is not a species - level choice . Individual birds consistently sit in places that enhance their own unique markings , within a habitat and at a fine scale with regards to specific background sites . "