At least, that's what Aristotle thought. According to the renowned Greek philosopher, nightjars suckle directly from the udders of goats. Bear in mind, however, he also believed that eels spontaneously generate from mud, that Earth is at the centre of the Universe and that men have hotter blood than women. Pinch of salt, anyone?
Myths can be hard to shake and so, today, the nightjar is still known to some as the 'goatsucker.' Nightjars, of which there are around 100 species, feed on the wing and are insectivorous. In days gone by, they might have been attracted to domestic livestock, to feed on the insects that associate with them, which is where the nickname may have come from.
This story is from the August 2023 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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This story is from the August 2023 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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