nightjar
noun
night·jar ˈnīt-ˌjär 
: any of a family (Caprimulgidae) of medium-sized long-winged crepuscular or nocturnal birds (such as the whip-poor-wills and nighthawks) having a short bill, short legs, and soft mottled plumage and feeding on insects which they catch on the wing
called also goatsucker
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The research group found that the cilia are notably absent from feathers of barn owls and nightjars, two species that stalk prey at night. 
Jim Daley, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2020 On other hand, the lesser nighthawk is the most frequently seen nightjar, active at sunrise and sunset and during the night. Ernie Cowan, sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 June 2017 Owls, of course, commonly feed at night, but there is another class of nocturnal birds known as nightjars that include the lesser and common nighthawks and poorwill. Ernie Cowan, sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 June 2017
Jim Daley, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2020 On other hand, the lesser nighthawk is the most frequently seen nightjar, active at sunrise and sunset and during the night. Ernie Cowan, sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 June 2017 Owls, of course, commonly feed at night, but there is another class of nocturnal birds known as nightjars that include the lesser and common nighthawks and poorwill. Ernie Cowan, sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 June 2017 Word History
Etymology
night entry 1 + jar "discordant sound," derivative of jar entry 3 (alluding to the churring trill of the European nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus)
First Known Use
1630, in the meaning defined above