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.