nightjar
a nocturnal European bird, Caprimulgus europaeus, of the family Caprimulgidae, having a short bill and a wide mouth and feeding on insects captured in the air.
Also called goatsucker. any other nocturnal or crepuscular bird of the family Caprimulgidae.
Origin of nightjar
1Words Nearby nightjar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use nightjar in a sentence
Then a nightjar began to hiss from among the rocks, and the stream to dash along more wildly.
Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events | S. Baring-GouldThe third nightjar, which also is confined chiefly to forest tracts, is known as Franklin's nightjar (C. monticolus).
A Bird Calendar for Northern India | Douglas DewarIn addition to this note Horsfield's nightjar emits a low soft chur, chur, chur.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India | Douglas DewarThis peculiar sound is responsible for the name nightjar, frequently given to this curious bird.
Bird Neighbors | Neltje BlanchanThere are very few birds in it; but the nightingale sings there all day and the nightjar sings there all night.
The Blue Rose Fairy Book | Maurice Baring
British Dictionary definitions for nightjar
/ (ˈnaɪtˌdʒɑː) /
any nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, esp Caprimulgus europaeus (European nightjar): order Caprimulgiformes. They have a cryptic plumage and large eyes and feed on insects
Origin of nightjar
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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