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nightjar

nightjar

1 9.5
A bird active at night with grey-brown feathers and large eyes that eats insects
  • noun
  • /ˈnaɪtˌdʒɑr/
translation icon : chotacabras
  • However, auspicious birds—birds of character and personality such as the owl, eagle, crow, dove, and nightjar—are also not killed, as a matter of definition and value.
  • a nocturnal nightjar

Examples

  • The cries of hoopoes and nightjars blended like music, ten, a hundred times more immediate than the wailing of the phonograph from inside the screens.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Photo Researchers, Inc. Salvadori's nightjar and eleven other species are now known to exist in Java only at a single locality.

    Academic text (1991)
  • You're never really alone, you know, with the owl, the bat, The Nightjar.

  • You are startled by the dry sound of the beating of wings as a nightjar rises into the air.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Nightjars.

  • In the evenings, you will hear the beautiful bell frogs and the melodious song of the fiery-necked nightjar.

    Academic text (1999)
  • According to some Kimberley traditions, the mythological figure of Wodoi, the spotted nightjar (a nocturnal bird), invented the first stone-tipped spears.

    Academic text (2008)
  • As dusk falls, the soothing calls of the nightjar can be heard echoing through the forest.

  • During our night hike, we spotted a nightjar perched quietly on a branch, blending perfectly with its surroundings.

  • The nightjar's eerie song filled the quiet night, attracting the attention of nearby insects.

Synonyms

nighthawk
vsnightjar
  • US
1 7.3

A night bird in North America that catches insects while flying

is the general name covering such birds beyond that regional type
goatsucker
vsnightjar
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A bird active at night with large eyes and brown and grey feathers that eats insects

is the common family name rather than one specific species
caprimulgid
vsnightjar
  • Specialized
9.9

A bird active at night with spotted feathers and large eyes that eats insects

is the general common term for such birds rather than a specific name
Caprimulgus europaeus
vsnightjar
  • Specialized
9.9

A bird in Europe that comes out at night to eat insects

refers more generally to similar birds beyond that single species
European nightjar
vsnightjar
  • UK
8.6

A night bird in Europe that is active at dusk and dawn with camouflaged feathers and a churring call

covers similar birds worldwide, not only that European species
European goatsucker
vsnightjar
  • UK
9.9

A night bird of Europe and western Asia with speckled feathers and a low continuous call

is the general label for the family rather than this regional species
bullbat
vsnightjar
  • Archaic
9.9

A night bird in North America that flies low to catch insects

is the wider common term for all family members not just that species
mosquito hawk
vsnightjar
  • US
9.3

A North American bird active at night that eats flying insects

is the standard common term for the whole family rather than that folk name
poorwill
vsnightjar
  • US
9.9

A bird that is active at night in western North America and makes a soft repeating call

is the general family name not limited to that species or its call

Compounds

A night bird in Europe that is active at dusk and dawn with camouflaged feathers and a churring call

How Nocturnal

owl
210 1.0
nightjar
1 9.5
pigeon
247 1.0
lark
9 2.8
hawk
69 2.3

Surface Forms

nightjar singular
nightjars plural

Morphology

nightjar = night + jar (semi-transparent) = night + jar

The compound consists of 'night' (clear) + 'jar' (here meaning a harsh sound), but the second element's sense is obscure to many learners and does not directly indicate 'a bird'.

Etymology

The word nightjar is made of night and jar, where jar comes from an old word for a 'harsh, grating sound', so a helpful way to remember it is a bird that makes a rough call at night and hunts insects in the dark.