noun
- plural of goatsucker; nocturnal birds of the family Caprimulgidae, including nighthawks and whip-poor-wills, so named from the false belief that they suck milk from goats
Usage: ornithological
Examples
- The goatsuckers are most active during twilight hours.
- Many goatsuckers have cryptic plumage that helps them blend with tree bark.
- The whip-poor-will is one of the most familiar goatsuckers in North America.
- Goatsuckers feed primarily on flying insects caught during flight.
- The name goatsuckers comes from an ancient superstition about these birds.
- Several species of goatsuckers migrate long distances each year.