Goatsuckers - Family Caprimulgidae
Lesser Nighthawk Chordeiles acutipennis. Accidental.
Goatsucker
Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology
common name for nocturnal or crepuscular birds of the order Caprimulgiformes, which includes the frogmouth, the oilbird, potoos, and nightjars.
Goatsucker Name given for a family of nocturnal birds of an order Goatsucker that includes, the frogmouth and the oil bird. They are medium-sized birds and are found it in temperate and tropical areas of both hemispheres.
Goatsuckers
Most goatsuckers (aka nightjars) are nocturnal although the Common Nighthawk may be seen during the day. The Nighthawk has adapted to urban areas while the others prefer less developed areas.
GOATSUCKERS.
Mouth opening to beneath the centre of the eyes; bill much depressed, generally feeble, the horny part being small; upper mandible with the tip somewhat decurved. Nostrils elliptical, prominent, marginate. Eyes extremely large.
GOATSUCKERS (Order: Caprimulgiformes, Family: Caprimulgidae)
Antillean Nighthawk
Chuck-will's-widow
Common Nighthawk
Common Poorwill: USGS
Lesser Nighthawk
Whip-poor-will ...
Goatsuckers and Allies (Order Caprimulgiformes) Adapted for aerial insect foraging, most members of this unusual group have a short, weak bill with bristles at the base and a very large mouth opening.
Goatsuckers (CAPRIMULGIDAE)
Swifts and Hummingbirds (APODIFORMES)
Swifts (APODIDAE)
Hummingbirds (TROCHILIDAE) ...
CAPRIMULGIDAE: Goatsuckers
Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) ...
First referring it to the genus Caprimulgus, its original describer soon saw that it was no true goatsucker.
The Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis) is a member of the nightjar or "goatsucker" family. During the day the bird will rest quietly on the leaf litter and be virtually invisible to the human eye.
Surprisingly, Haliburton's (1825) list includes "Great Bat, or Chuck will's Widow, or Goatsucker" along with "Whip poor Will" and "Night Hawk," but he gives no evidence. Late in October, about 1890, one was found barely alive near Pictou.
Bent, A. C. 1940. Life Histories of North American cuckoos, goatsuckers, hummingbirds and their allies. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. No. 176.
Its weird nocturnal note and silent ghostly flight have earned from the superstitious the name "Lich (corpse) Fowl" and "Puckeridge", and "Goatsucker" is due to wholly erroneous notions of its intentions when flying amongst animals.
The white wing patches of the Common Pauraque are similar to the wing patches in nighthawks but note the longer tail, browner upperparts and different call. Other goatsuckers lack the white wing patches and have different calls.
 See also: Sucker, Nightjar, Cuckoo, Swallow, Swift
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