BIRD SPECIES

Eastern Whip-poor-will

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Caprimulgus vociferous

The Eastern Whip-poor-will is a medium-sized nightjar from North America.
It is a cryptic night bird that is more often heard than seen.
It is sometimes confused with the related Chuck-will's-widow which has a similar but lower-pitched and slower call.

Both sexes measures about 8.7 - 10.2 inches in length, with 17.7 - 18.9 inches wingspan and weight of 43 - 64 grams.
Adults have mottled plumage, with gray, black and brown upperparts and gray- and-black lower parts.
They have a very short bill and a black throat.
Males have a white patch below their throat and white tips on their outer tail feathers while in the females, these parts are light brown.

CALL: Males and females both give a short, sharp quirt to contact their mates or express agitation when a predator is near the nest.
They also make growls to ward off territorial intruders and hisses to ward off predators.

SONG: A loud rolling "whip-poor-will", repeated rapidly, sometimes for long periods of time.

Insects, primarily night-flying insects.

Prefers deciduous to mixed forests.

Summers throughout most of the eastern U.S., extreme southeastern Canada, and locally in the Southwestern U.S.

Winters in the extreme southeastern U.S., Mexico, and Central America.

The female lays 2 cream-colored or grayish-white eggs marbled with lavander-gray, yellowish-brown, or pale brown.
Incubation period lasts for about 19 - 21 days.

SOURCES:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org
https://www.sdakotabirds.com
https://en.wikipedia.org