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Goatsuckers
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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.
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They are protected by brown, gray, and black coloring,
and their lax and fluffy feathers render their flight
almost noiseless.
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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.
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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. |
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| Bird rescue & bird adoption;
parrot refuge/rescue & placement for unwanted birds. |
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| Check out our list of local
birds broken down by your state and different types of
species. |
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| Migrating birds stay on track
because of chemical reactions in their bodies that are
influenced by the Earth's magnetic field... |
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Part
I
March
3, 2006