goatsucker

goat·suck·er

G0170100 (gōt′sŭk′ər)n. See nightjar.

[Translation of Greek aigothēlās : aigo-, goat + -thēlās, sucker (from the belief that the bird sucked milk from goats).]

goatsucker

(ˈɡəʊtˌsʌkə) n (Animals) US and Canadian any nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, esp Caprimulgus europaeus (European nightjar): order Caprimulgiformes.. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): nightjar

goat•suck•er

(ˈgoʊtˌsʌk ər)

n. any of numerous insect-eating, mostly nocturnal birds of the family Caprimulgidae, of nearly worldwide distribution, including nightjars and nighthawks. [1605–15; translation of Latin caprimulgus, itself translation of Greek aigothḗlas]

Thesaurus

Noun

goatsucker - mainly crepuscular or nocturnal nonpasserine birds with mottled greyish-brown plumage and large eyes; feed on insectscaprimulgid, nightjarcaprimulgiform bird - long-winged nonpasserine birdsCaprimulgidae, family Caprimulgidae - goatsuckersCaprimulgus europaeus, European goatsucker, European nightjar - Old World goatsuckerCaprimulgus carolinensis, chuck-will's-widow - large whippoorwill-like bird of the southern United StatesCaprimulgus vociferus, whippoorwill - American nocturnal goatsucker with grey-and-white plumagebullbat, mosquito hawk, nighthawk - mainly nocturnal North American goatsuckerPhalaenoptilus nuttallii, poorwill - goatsucker of western North America

Translations

козодой

goatsucker

goatsucker,

common name for nocturnal or crepuscular birds of the order Caprimulgiformes, which includes the frogmouth, the oilbird, potoos, and nightjars. Goatsuckers are medium in size and are found in the temperate and tropical zones of both hemispheres. The name goatsucker is based on an ancient belief that these birds fed on goats' milk by night, but their presence near such animals was no doubt due to the insects attracted by the goats. With their long, pointed wings, weak feet, and small, wide-gaping bills fringed with bristles, goatsuckers have been called flying insect traps. Like their relatives the owls, they are protected by brown, gray, and black coloring, and their lax and fluffy feathers render their flight almost noiseless. This and their monotonous, repetitious song are factors in their superstitious significance. Their weird cries are reflected in the common names for many of the species, e.g., whippoorwill, chuck-will's-widow, poorwill, poor-me-one, potoo, and pauraque. The whippoorwill is common in the E United States. Ornithologists have discovered that the whippoorwill, unlike other birds, hibernates during the winter instead of migrating. Its body temperature drops from 102&degF; (39&degC;) to 65&degF; (18.3&degC;), its breathing slows, and its digestion ceases until spring brings the return of the insects that constitute its diet. The whippoorwill's flight, like that of the swift, is graceful and erratic; it sometimes swoops downward and then stops abruptly, producing a booming sound as it spreads its wings to brake. The larger (12 in./30 cm) chuck-will's-widow (Caprimulgus carolinensis) is found in the South and the poorwill (7 in./17.5 cm) in the West. The nighthawk (Chordediles popetue), or bull bat, common in all parts of North America N to Labrador, is the most diurnal of the goatsuckers; it is active at twilight and daybreak, whereas the others fly only at night. The nighthawk's familiar cry is a nasal "peent." The oilbirds of South America have sonar devices that enable them to fly in total darkness. The pauraque, or cuiejo, is a Central American goatsucker, and the aptly named frogmouths are native to Australia and Asia. Goatsuckers are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Caprimulgiformes.

goatsucker

US and Canadian any nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, esp Caprimulgus europaeus (European nightjar): order Caprimulgiform es.

goatsucker

noun

Synonyms for goatsucker

noun mainly crepuscular or nocturnal nonpasserine birds with mottled greyish-brown plumage and large eyes

Synonyms

caprimulgid
nightjar

Related Words

caprimulgiform bird
Caprimulgidae
family Caprimulgidae
Caprimulgus europaeus
European goatsucker
European nightjar
Caprimulgus carolinensis
chuck-will's-widow
Caprimulgus vociferus
whippoorwill
bullbat
mosquito hawk
nighthawk
Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
poorwill