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Several people have recently commented to me on the
unusual bird family names 'Goatsucker' and 'Nightjar'. The families
include our three Utah representatives, the Common Nighthawk, the Lesser
Nighthawk, and the Common Poorwill, and birds such as the Chuck-will's-widow and
Whip-poor-will that inhabit other parts of the U.S. I'll let Diana
Wells explain the family names' bird-word etymology. Ms
Wells authored 100 Birds and How They Got Their Names:
"Goatsuckers often stay near livestock, where the
insects they eat congregate. It was once thought that at night they also
sucked the milk of goats, whereupon, wrote Aristotle, 'the udder withers and the
goat goes blind.' Their family name, Caprimulgidae, comes from
the Latin caper, 'goat,' and mulgere, 'to milk.' Their
Italian and German names, succiacapre and Ziegenmelker, have
the same meaning. They are called nightjars, too, for their 'jarring'
nocturnal cries."
When I acquired this book, 'Goatsucker' was the
first name I looked up because it sounds so udderly ridiculous.
Wonderful little book, 100 Birds... is,
and an excellent reference so that you can be the delight of the next family
reunion or block party.
Kris
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