Nightjars, Nighthawks

Whip-poor-will, Caprimulgus vociferus

Family Caprimulgidae (Nightjars, Nighthawks)

Size: 9.75"

Season: Summer

Habitat: Open mixed woodlands

The whip-poor-will is a plump, compact nightjar that roosts during the day and catches flying insects by night. It has large black eyes and a short but wide bill. The plumage is highly cryptic; mottled gray, brown, and black overall with a light-gray patch across the shoulder and a whitish band on the breast. Most easily noticed in flight, males have distinctive white corners on the otherwise dark tail; females have smaller, buff corners. Its voice, as its common name suggests, is a repeating whip-poor-will, rising in pitch toward the end. The adult male is illustrated.