Upland Ground

Common Poorwill

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
Common Poorwill thumbnail
Length: 8 in. (20 cm )
Nocturnal and shy, this bird is much more often heard than seen. It can be found regularly sitting in the middle of a lonely gravel road where it will fly up in the headlights of a vehicle like a huge moth. Apparently it spends much of the winter in northern parts of its range in a state of torpor or hibernation concealed in rock piles. It catches insects at night in its gaping mouth by flying low over the desert floor. Its nest is a shallow depression on the ground, usually near a steep hill.

The four-digit banding code is COPO.

Male | Herbert Clarke



Chaparral

Desert

Shrubs
Download Sound
Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
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Download Sound
Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
Sonogram Large:
Sonogram Zoom:

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