Breeding Location:
Forest
Breeding Type:
Monogamous
Breeding Population:
Yes but uncommon
Egg Color:
White marked with gray, brown, olive and lavender
Number of Eggs:
2
Incubation Days:
19 - 20
Egg Incubator:
Female
Nest Material:
No material added to nest.
Migration:
Most migrate
Recommended Products:
General
Whip-poor-will: Medium-sized nightjar with gray-brown-black mottled upperparts and pale gray-black underparts. Throat is black; eyebrows and neckband are white. Tail is long and rounded with large white corner patches. Female has pale brown neckband and tail patches.
Range and Habitat
Whip-poor-will: Breeds from Saskatchewan and Maritime Provinces south to Kansas, northern Louisiana, and northern Georgia, and in Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas. Spends winters in Florida and along the Gulf Coast southward to Panama. Prefers open woodlands with well-spaced trees.
Breeding and Nesting
Whip-poor-will: Two gray-and-brown scrawled, white eggs are laid in a shallow depression among dead leaves, often in younger growth near a woodland edge. Incubation ranges from 19 to 20 days and is carried out by the female.
Foraging and Feeding
Whip-poor-will: Feeds on flying insects, usually at night, finding prey by sight and sound. Small bill opens into a huge, gaping maw when it flies after prey. Foraging results in erratic flight that includes wheeling, circling, gliding, and hovering.
Vocalization
Whip-poor-will: Sings its name "WHIP-poor-WEEA." Eastern birds have rising last note with first and last syllables accented. Western birds sing lower and more trilled, with only the last note accented.
Similar Species
Whip-poor-will: Chuck-will's-widow is larger, has more pointed wings, and is more rufous overall.
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