A feather from the Whip-poor-will

The whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus) is woodland resident, roosting and nesting on the ground among dead leaves.  This means of nesting serves as camouflage, rendering it virtually invisible, so perfect is its protective coloration.  The male has white tips on its tale, which are visible in flight. The whip-poor-will breeds in the eastern half of the United States and in Canada around the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Seaway south to Kansas and east to Virginia.  The winter range is in Florida and the Gulf coast southward to Panama. In Pennsylvania, it was recorded from more than 860 locations during the breeding bird atlas project (1984-89), with the highest concentration in the south central mountains.

This bird is strictly nocturnal and its singing begins at dusk and continues erratically throughout the night.  Its pleasing quality adds enchantment to the world of shadows.  One hundred repetitions, with hardly a pause, are not uncommon.  The record may be one thousand and eighty eight, counted by famed naturalist John Burroughs.  Males sing regularly from a number of perches close to the ground within their territory, and follow a defined route each evening.  By sitting motionless at one station, a lucky observer can be rewarded by a vocal performance at arm's length.

During courtship, the female will land and strut, with wings and tail spread, grunting and chuckling with head low while trembling.  The male will approach and circle the female, purring while waving and bobbing its head. 

Two white eggs, scrawled with gray and brown, are laid in a shallow depression among dead leaves, often in younger growth near a woodland edge.  Both parents incubate the eggs, but the male will take over caring for the brood if the female starts a second clutch.  The eggs hatch in 19 to 20 days. The young are semiprecocial and leave the nest within 20 days. Distraction displays may be performed if the nest is threatened.  The reproductive cycle is synchronized with the lunar cycle to result in moonlit nights to forage to feed nestlings, as the adults hunt mainly by sight rather than sound.  A whip-poor-will eats only insects and is especially fond of moths, capturing them on the wing with its extra-wide mouth.

Help WPC achieve its mission.

Guess the Peregrines' Due Dates
From now until midnight Feb. 24th, WPC invites you to guess when the peregrines at Gulf Tower and Pitt will lay and hatch their eggs. You could win an as yet to be determined exciting prize.

E-mail Today's WPC Daily to a Friend!

Sign Up for WPC Daily