Goatsucker n. (Zool.) One of several species of insectivorous birds, belonging to Caprimulgus and allied genera, esp. the European species (Caprimulgus Europaeus); so called from the mistaken notion that it sucks goats. The European species is also goat-milker, goat owl, goat chaffer, fern owl, night hawk, nightjar, night churr, churr-owl, gnat hawk, and dorhawk.
... ptarmigan, already mentioned, must be considered a remarkable case of special adaptation. Another is a South-American goatsucker (Caprimulgus rupestris) which rests in the bright sunshine on little bare rocky islets in the Upper Rio Negro, where its unusually light colours so closely resemble those of the rock and sand, that it can scarcely be detected till ... — Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection - A Series of Essays • Alfred Russel Wallace Read full book for free!
... used in order to get rid of that very objectionable name Podargus, and as being allied to the other genera Batrachostomus and Otothrix of the family Steatorninae in India. It is a name well suited to the singular structure of the mouth, and presumably better than the mythical title of 'Goatsucker.' 'Night-hawk,' sometimes applied to the Caprimulginae, does not accord with the mode of flight ... — A Dictionary of Austral English • Edward Morris Read full book for free!
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