Whip-poor-will
Caprimulgus vociferus
Owls
Length: 10 in. (28 cm )
Seen only rarely during the daytime when it hides camouflaged against the leaf litter or a tree branch, this nocturnal bird is also hard to see at night time. Only its continuously repeated song lets you know how common it is. The nest is a scrape in the leaf litter in a forest opening. The diet is insects, especially moths, which are caught in mid air as the Whip-poor-will swoops low over forest clearings. The population in the west is considered a separate species by some experts, the Mexican Whip-poor-will.
The four-digit banding code is WPWI.
Male |
Fir forest
Oak-pine woodland
Bibliographic details:
- Article: Whip-poor-will
- Author(s): Dr. Biology
- Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
- Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
- Date published: 13 Jul, 2017
- Date accessed:
- Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/whip-poor-will
APA Style
Dr. Biology. (Thu, 07/13/2017 - 15:38). Whip-poor-will. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/whip-poor-will
Chicago Manual of Style
Dr. Biology. "Whip-poor-will". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/whip-poor-will
MLA 2017 Style
Dr. Biology. "Whip-poor-will". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/whip-poor-will
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