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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

goatsucker

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

From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026

Then a ghostly goatsucker called eerily, "Who-are-you?" and the next sound for me was the summons to early coffee.

From Jungle Peace by William Beebe

Dor-hawk, dor′-hawk, n. the common goatsucker, night-jar, or fern-owl.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

We also killed a large bat or goatsucker of which there are many in this neighbourhood, resembling in every respect those of the same species in the United States.

From History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. I. To the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed During the Years 1804-5-6. by Paul Allen

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 William Henry Giles Kingston

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