Goatsucker
Name given for a family of nocturnal birds of an order Goatsucker
that includes, the frogmouth and the oil bird. They are medium-sized
birds and are found it in temperate and tropical areas of both
hemispheres. The name Goatsucker is based on an ancient belief
that these birds fed on goat's milk by night but their presence near
such animals was no doubt due to the insects hovering about them. With
their long the, pointed wings, weak feet, and small, wide gaping bills
fringed with bristles , goat suckers have been called flying insect
traps. Protected by brown, gray, and black coloring, and their lax and
fluffy feathers render their flight almost noiseless. In England
goatssuckers are called the Nightjars . The whippoorwill is common in
the Eastern United States. Unlike other birds its hibernates during the
winter instead of migrating. Its body temperature drops from 102
Fahrenheit 26.5 Fahrenheit, its breathing slows, and its digestion
ceases until the return of spring, which brings the insects that
constitutes its diet. The larger 12 in. chuck-will's widow is found in
the South and the poorwill 7 in. in the West.
» Hibernates during the winter instead of migrating, Its body temperature drops from 102°F (39°C) to 65°F (18.3°C), its breathing slows, and its digestion ceases until spring brings the return of the insects that constitute its diet.
» They are protected by brown, gray, and black coloring, and their lax and fluffy feathers render their flight almost noiseless.
» Most of the 70 or so goatsucker species dwell in tropical climes, and their number includes several birds in which the muted males undergo astonishing changes at courtship time.
0 comments: