Owls

Whip-poor-will

Caprimulgus vociferus
Whip-poor-will thumbnail
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.


Fir forest

Oak-pine woodland
Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
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