About the size of an English sparrow; bill very small, triangular, much broader than high, without bristles; wings long and pointed; legs short; feet weak; tail very short, ending in stiff spines; plumage compact. (Ridgway.)
Food: entirely insects. Sexes alike. Found in the air or inside chimneys or hollow trees.
21. Caprimulgidæ: Goatsuckers.
Larger than a robin; bill very short; gape enormously long and wide; mouth open to behind the eyes; wings long; plumage soft. (Ridgway.)
Food: insects. Sexes nearly alike. One species found in the edge of woods, and another species about towns.
Larger than an English sparrow; bill usually straight, pointed or chisel-shaped at tip; tongue extensile and except in one species barbed at point; tail stiff and feathers pointed at tip for a prop; toes, except in three-toed species, two forward and two backward for climbing. (Ridgway.)
Insectivorous. Sexes unlike. Found on trees (except one species) in woods or orchards.
Usually larger than a robin; bill long and straight; tongue small; head large, crested; wings short; legs small; outer and middle toe united half their length. (Ridgway.)