Whip-poor-will

Whip-poor-will, adult female

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

Because of its nocturnal habits, the Whip-poor-will is infrequently seen. Its cryptic coloring keeps it hidden during the day, too. However, its loud calling at dusk makes it well known wherever it breeds.

Description

• Medium-sized nightjar.
• Large-headed with a tiny bill.
• Very well camouflaged, colored in browns, black, and gray.

• Size: 22-26 cm (9-10 in)
• Wingspan: 45-48 cm (18-19 in)
• Weight: 43-64 g (1.52-2.26 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but male has white tips to tail, female's tail tips are buff.

Sound

Song an emphatic "Whip-poor-will," with the accent and the first and third syllables and a tremolo in the second. Call note a short, quiet "quirt." Claps wings to defend territory.

Conservation Status

Considered declining in some areas; good data lacking because of the difficulty in censusing this bird.

Other Names

Engoulevent bois-pourri (French)
Tapacamino cuerporruín-norteño (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Chicks can move about during the nestling stage, and they often move a bit apart, perhaps to make it difficult for a predator to find them. The parent aids this process by forcibly shoving aside one of the young with its foot as it flushes from the nest. The nestling may be sent tumbling head over heels by the shove.

• The male Whip-poor-will often will investigate intruders near the nest by hovering in place with its body nearly vertical and its tail spread wide to show off the broad white tips of the tail feathers.

• The western populations of the Whip-poor-will differ slightly in plumage from the eastern form, and sometimes are considered a different species (the Mexican Whip-poor-will). Their songs are slower and lower pitched, and their eggs are whiter and less highly colored.

• The Whip-poor-will lays its eggs in phase with the lunar cycle, so that the eggs hatch on average 10 days before a full moon. When the moon is near full the adults can forage the entire night, and so best provide the nestlings with insects.

Sources used to construct this page:

Cink, C. L. 2002. Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus). In The Birds of North America, No. 620 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.