goatsucker

American  

[goht-suhk-er] / ˈgoʊtˌsʌk ər /

noun

1. nightjar.

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goatsucker British  

/ ˈɡəʊtˌsʌkə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of goatsucker

1605–15; so called because formerly believed to suck the milk of goats; translation of Latin caprimulgus, itself translation of Greek aigothḗlas

Example Sentences

The birds have a number of nicknames, with the most unusual being 'the goatsucker'.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Four other species of the goatsucker articulate some words so distinctly, that they have received their names from the sentences they utter, and absolutely bewilder the stranger on his arrival in these parts. 

From Wanderings in South America by Waterton, Charles

They were the wail of the goatsucker, the bay of the barking wolf, and the maniac scream of the eagle.

From The White Chief A Legend of Northern Mexico by Evans, L.

Numerous species of the goatsucker, well known as the bird of night, inhabit the forests of the Amazon as well as the settled districts.

From The Western World Picturesque Sketches of Nature and Natural History in North and South America by Kingston, William Henry Giles

There are nine species of the goatsucker in Demerara, a bird with prettily mottled plumage like that of the owl.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 19 — Travel and Adventure by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir