night-swallows forms an independent order of the birds with 5 families, 22-24 types and 96-103 types.
Characteristics It is twilight and night-animals almost exclusively, who catch insects in fast and few flight with its deep-split and wide pharynx like with a Kescher. The eyes of the night-swallows are accordingly big and very photosensitive; through its strongly lateral situation, the head of these birds seems rather flat.
For the Fettschwalm, it is proved that it gets the bearings in its dark sleep and brood-caves also with echo-orientation. Fettschwalme live, as single representatives of the night-swallows, vegetarian. Also the quite stiff plumage of these particular birds represents a peculiarity within its order. All other night-swallows have a very soft (to the diminishing of the flight-sounds) one, camouflage-colored brown, gray, black and white patterned plumage.
During the day, night-swallows rest on trees, in rock-niches or on the ground; some few types however, roughly the falcon-night-swallow (Chordeiles minor) from the family of the night swallows, makes hunt on flight-insects also during the day.
The wings and tails of most night-swallows are long; with some types, the males have strongly extended, flag-good or band-shaped energy-feathers. Otherwise, both sexes externally immediately look. Legs and feet of the Caprimulgiformes are trained only short and weak. The term "Swallow" is misleading and refers only to the external similarity of some types of this order to the real swallows (family Hirundinidae).
Reproduction Night-swallows put 1-4 (usually 2) eggs, that become erbrütet from both parents together. The squabs hatch with open eyes and carry a dense Dunenkleid.
Spread The spread-area of the night-swallows stretches almost world-wide; these birds are missing only in the polar-areas and on New Zealand.
System The night swallows also seeming to a type with us belong to the night-swallows, but also the Schwalme (also Höhlenschwalm) and the Tagschläfer.
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