caprimulgiform bird
Noun A nocturnal bird belonging to the order Caprimulgiformes, characterized by long wings, a short bill with a wide gape, and soft plumage. These are non-passerine birds, meaning they are not perching songbirds.
The term is used in formal ornithological contexts to classify and describe a specific order of birds. It is a scientific grouping rather than a common name.
Examples * The nightjar is a well-known caprimulgiform bird. * Ornithologists study the unique feeding habits of caprimulgiform birds. * This fossil shares key skeletal features with modern caprimulgiform birds.
- The order name Caprimulgiformes is derived from the Latin , meaning "goat-milker," based on an old folk myth that these birds sucked milk from goats.
- In taxonomic discussions, the defining features of a caprimulgiform bird include its morphology (body shape), nocturnal behavior, and insectivorous diet.
- Caprimulgiformes (n): The scientific order name for this group of birds.
- Nightjar (n): A common name for many species within this order.
- Nighthawk (n): A common name for some New World species in this order.
- Poorwill (n): A common name for specific North American species.
- Frogmouth (n): A common name for birds in the Podargidae family, part of the Caprimulgiformes order.
- Oilbird (n): A common name for , a unique, fruit-eating member of this order.
- Goatsucker (n, archaic): An old common name based on the same folk myth.
- Night bird (n, general): A very broad, non-scientific term that could include owls and other nocturnal species.
The term caprimulgiform bird has only one specific meaning in modern English: it refers exclusively to a member of the biological order Caprimulgiformes. It is not used idiomatically or in other contexts.
- long-winged nonpasserine birds