Eastern Whip-poor-will
Antrostomus vociferus
They often time their egg-hatching to coincide with the full moon, ensuring maximum light for hunting insects to feed their chicks.
- Scientific name
- Antrostomus vociferus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Caprimulgiformes › Caprimulgidae › Antrostomus
- IUCN Red List status
- Near Threatened
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous or mixed forests with an open understory and nearby clearings.
- Diet
- Strictly insectivorous, specializing in large moths and beetles caught in flight.
- Range
- Eastern United States, Southeastern Canada, Mexico, Central America
- Size
- 22-27 cm in length with a wingspan of about 45-55 cm.
- Lifespan
- Approximately 12-15 years.
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss, decline in insect biomass due to pesticides, and predation by feral cats and raccoons.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. If found on the ground, maintain a distance of at least 15 feet as they nest on the forest floor; flushing them can expose eggs to predators. No risk of bites or stings.
The eastern whip-poor-will ( Antrostomus vociferus ) is a medium-sized (22–27 cm) nightjar from North America. The whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less often seen because of its camouflage. It is named onomatopoeically after its song.
Photo: Paul Prior, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/abc732a2-ce54-43e3-8cfe-21c01a5b06eb.md