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

Ignorance alone has given the goatsucker its name.

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

The evening was calm and still; — the shrill noise of the mountain bizcacha, and the faint cry of a goatsucker, were occasionally to be heard.

From The Voyage of the Beagle by Darwin, Charles

A goatsucker may be confused with a swallow, and a swallow may pass as a tern.

From A Quantitative Study of the Nocturnal Migration of Birds. Vol.3 No.2 by George H. Lowery.

The “snort” of the grizzly bear from the rocky ledge—the howling bark of the coyote—the “hoo-hoop” of the burrowing owl, and the shrill periodical cries of the bull-bat and goatsucker.

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