夜鷹目 Caprimulgiformes，來自拉丁文的 caprimulgus (喝山羊乳者) 和拉丁文的 -fōrmis (形狀)，說明一個古老坊間傳說是牠們從山羊身上吸羊乳。

Caprimulgiformes, from Latin caprimulgus (“goat milker”) and Latin -fōrmis (“-shaped”), in reference to an ancient folk tale that they sucked the milk from goats.

種的俗名 Common names of members

夜鷹、蟆口鴟、林鴟 (鬼鳥/噗通鳥/幽靈鳥)、油鴟 (油夜鷹)、雨燕、樹燕、蜂鳥。

Nightjars, nighthawks, frogmouths, potoos, oilbirds, swifts, treeswifts and hummingbirds.

分佈 Distribution

幾乎在多有大陸上，除了南極洲以外。不存在遠北方、大沙漠或許多大洋島嶼上。

They occur on all the continents except Antarctica, but not in the far north, in large deserts, or on many oceanic islands.

體型 Size

體型範圍從5.5厘米長及1.95克重，到41厘米長及188克重。

They range from 5.5 cm in length and 1.95 g in weight to 41 cm and 188 g.

形態 Morphology

某些物種的尾巴和翅膀很長，但翼展較小。牠們的小喙大多被剛毛包圍。腳趾有些蹼，腿和腳小而無力。中趾抓內緣有梳狀的梳膜，可用來護理羽毛。羽毛有神秘的棕色和灰色圖案。還有其他已知最小的現存鳥類，即蜂鳥。身體很小，翅膀像刀片。牠們的解剖結構使牠們能夠像直升機一樣向各個方向飛行，甚至懸停。牠們的腳有三個腳趾朝前，一個朝後 (大拇趾)，腳很小而沒有膝蓋。還具有極其特殊的羽毛和彩虹的顏色。

Certain species have lengthy tails and wings, and their wingspan is rather small. Their little beaks are surrounded by bristles in the majority. The toes are somewhat webbed, and the legs and feet are small and feeble. A comb-like pecten on the inner edge of the middle toe's claw can be utilized to care for feathers. The plumage has a cryptic brown and grey pattern.

There are others that are the tiniest known living birds, the hummingbirds. Their bodies are small, and their wings resemble blades. Their anatomical structure allows them to fly like helicopters in all directions, even hovering. Their feet have three toes facing forward and one backward, called the hallux, and their legs are small and lack knees. They also have extremely specialized feathers and iridescent colors.

生態及棲息地 Ecology & Habitat

棲息地範圍廣泛，從乾旱地區到雨林和溫帶落葉樹林。

They occupy a wide range of habitats, from arid regions to rainforests and deciduous temperate woods.

食性 Diet

大部分都以蟲為食，但有些也專門以花蜜為食。

Most of them have insectivorous diets, but a great part is specialized in nectarivorous diets.

繁殖 Reproduction

不同的物種有不同的築巢習慣。有些選擇不築巢，而是將卵產在地上，即鋪滿樹葉的地板上。有些則將巢築在水平的樹叉上。在樹上或棺木的樹枝上，某些物種會建造一個類似杯子的巢。

Different species have different nesting practices. Some choose not to build a nest and instead lay their eggs on the ground, on the floor covered in leaves, others build nests into the horizontal forks of trees. On a tree or shrub branch, certain species construct a nest that resembles a cup.

已知的物種 Total species known

609

博物館收藏的物種

Species in the collection

2

在香港已知的物種

Species in Hong Kong

9

References 參考文獻

Lovette, I. J., Fitzpatrick, J. W. (2016). Handbook of Bird Biology. Wiley-Blackwell.

Gill, F. B., Prum, R. O. (2019). Ornithology. W.H. Freeman & Co. Ltd.