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

If the largest goatsucker chance to cry near the white man’s door, sorrow and grief will soon be inside; and they expect to see the master waste away with a slow consuming sickness. 

From Wanderings in South America by Waterton, Charles

By night the goatsucker visited it, and the bat, and the white owl gliding down the slope.

From The Amateur Poacher by Jefferies, Richard

The fern-owl, or goatsucker, is one of the most harmless of birds—a sort of evening swallow—living on moths, chafers, and similar night-flying insects.

From The Open Air by Jefferies, Richard

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 Beebe, William