nightjar
Camouflaged nocturnal bird
A nightjar is a nocturnal bird with mottled gray-brown plumage, a wide gaping mouth for catching insects in flight, and a distinctive churring call heard at dusk.
The name comes from the jarring sound of its song, which carries through the night.
Nightjars are found worldwide and are also called goatsuckers, from an old belief that they sucked milk from goats.
Nocturnal insectivorous American bird
- goatsuckerNocturnal insect-catching bird
- frogmouthBroad-billed nocturnal bird
- potooCryptic neotropical nightbird
- chuck-will's-widowLarge nocturnal insect-eating bird
oilbird · insectivore · migratory · plumage · wingspan · feathers · beak · roost
Relating to dusk
- twilightLight after sunset
- duskDimming after sundown
- nightfallOnset of darkness
- gloamingPoetic term for dusk
moonlight · darkness · nighttime · hawking · starlight · evening · dawn · low-light
Obscure in meaning
- mottledHaving irregular color patches
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- hiddenKept out of sight
- disguisedConcealed true identity
undetected · unseen · ground-nesting · camouflaged · blending · stillness · freeze response
Continuous buzzing sound
- chirringShrill vibrating sound
- vocalizationProducing sounds with voice
- repetitiveMarked by recurrence
- eerieDisturbingly strange
haunting · evocative · onomatopoeic · distinctive · trilling · purring
whippoorwill
Nocturnal insectivorous American bird
- goatsuckerNocturnal insect-catching bird
- frogmouthBroad-billed nocturnal bird
- potooCryptic neotropical nightbird
chuck-will's-widow · oilbird · insectivore · migratory · plumage · wingspan · feathers · beak · roost · nest
crepuscular
Relating to dusk
gloaming · moonlight · darkness · nighttime · hawking · starlight · evening · dawn · low-light · silent flight
cryptic
Obscure in meaning
- mottledHaving irregular color patches
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- hiddenKept out of sight
disguised · undetected · unseen · ground-nesting · camouflaged · blending · stillness · freeze response
whirr
Continuous buzzing sound
- chirringShrill vibrating sound
- vocalizationProducing sounds with voice
- repetitiveMarked by recurrence
eerie · haunting · evocative · onomatopoeic · distinctive · trilling · purring
- nightjarswhip-poor-will, whippoorwill
- Old Bird Nameschaffinch, jackdaw, lapwing, osprey, kestrel
- birdsrobin, crow, eagle, owl, duck
- Forest Birdswoodpecker, nuthatch, chickadee, titmouse, treecreeper
- insect eatersanteater, giant anteater, aardvark, pangolin, echidna
- nocturnalowl, bat, nocturnal animals, raccoon, moth
nightjarfinch
Small seed-eating songbird
sparrow · seedeater · hummingbird · woodpecker · raptor