The curious ‘dragon bird’, which has a reputation as a Chupacabra and a ‘satanic’ cousin

After all, what bird is this?

This is the Long-eared Nightjar (Lyncornis macrotis)a bird that belongs to the Caprimulgidae family. It is made up of species with long wings, legs and short beaks. Spread across almost the entire globe, with the exception of Antarctica, they are divided into two subtypes: nightjars, common in South America, and nightjars popular in the USA, Asia and Europe.

The first time it was formally described in a book was by Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1831. He then called him Caprimulgus macrotis, name that was only changed in 2010, after a genetic study that reclassified its gender.

Chupacabra fame was a hit in the 19th century USA. According to the book US: An Index to The United States of America – Historical, Geographical and Political”, published by Malcolm Townsend in 1890, the Latin origin of the name “caprimulgus” would mean “sucker”, since nightjars They were famous for sucking milk from goats and cows and were therefore considered a kind of cursed bat, which would bring bad omens to rural populations.