Goatsucker, or nightjar, is one of a widespread family of birds that largely fly at night. The nighthawk and the whip-poor-will also belong to this family.
Goatsuckers are 8 to 15 inches (20 to 38 centimeters) long. Their dull coloring, gray and brown mottled with white, acts as effective camouflage. The wings of goatsuckers are long and slender, and their extremely short bills have bristles at the base. Goatsuckers catch their chief foods, which are insects, while in flight.
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The name goatsucker comes from the old fable that the birds milk goats. This arose because of the birds’ wide, soft mouths and because they feed at twilight near grazing animals. The name nightjar comes from the birds’ habit of flying at night and their jarring cries.
