"We really have four shutter possibilities with the current Z's (all but the Z9, which introduces a new, faster variation of #4):
1_Auto — This is the new default with current firmware on most of the cameras, and with this option set the camera will use EFCS (see #3) up to 1/250, and mechanical shutter (see #2) beyond.
2_Mechanical — The old default: the camera always uses the mechanical shutter at the beginning and end of every image.
3_Electronic First Curtain — The camera does not perform a shutter action at the begging of a photo, it just turns on the image sensor to collect data, but at the end of the exposure the mechanical shutter is used to stop the data collection.
4_Silent Photography — When this is set to On, the camera does not use a mechanical shutter for anything.
#1-3 are set with a Custom Setting (in the D's, setting number varies with camera). #4 is set with the PHOTO SHOOTING menu. It's only #4 that causes really bad motion artifacts or bad banding with frequency lighting, and how much of a problem that is depends a bit on the camera, as they all have different image sensor transfer rates. It's generally safest to use #1 or #3 for your photography, because #2 can cause shutter slap issues at lower shutter speeds. (The Z9 changes this, as it's silent photography all electronic shutter is just as fast as the mechanical shutter. For all other models, #4 can generate visible issues in your images.)"
https://www.zsystemuser.com/nikon-z-system-news-and/electronic-shutter.html