NIGHT-HAWK ( tachmâs ). An unclean bird ( Leviticus 11:16 , Deuteronomy 14:16 ). What the tackmâs really was is merely a matter of speculation. A species of owl, the ostrich, and even the cuckoo, have all been suggested, but without any convincing reasons. ‘Night-hawk’ is merely another name for the familiar night-jar or goat-sucker ( Caprimulgus ), of which three species are known in Palestine.
E. W. G. Masterman.