Whip-Poor-Will, the Seldom Seen but Often Heard Night Bird
Whip-Poor-Will
MEDIA: A hi-res version of this image may be downloaded here. Please credit the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE WHIP-POOR-WILL
- A robin-sized bird, the whip-poor-will is about nine inches long, colored in browns, black, and gray for an excellent camouflage effect resembling leaf litter.
- Its cousin, the chuck-wills-widow, is more common in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, and is distinguished from the whip-poor-will by its larger size, browner plumage, and voice, uttering a less emphatic, distinctly four-noted “chuck WILL WID ow.”
- A female whip-poor-will nests on a bed of leaves in open woodlands. Dappled sunlight penetrating the tree canopy camouflages the eggs and incubating adult.
- A female whip-poor-will lays eggs that hatch about 10 days before a full moon. This strategic timing helps ensure abundant moonlight for the adults to hunt moths and other prey for their growing young.
- Whip-poor-wills call persistently at dusk and again before dawn. An early naturalist tallied 59 calls per minute and reported that one individual male whip-poor-will called continuously, without pause, for over 1,000 calls!
- Whip-poor-wills often hunt and call from dirt roads. You may notice their dark-red eyes shine in the headlights as they dart from the road.
- Unlike most other birds that perch across a tree branch, whip-poor-wills sit lengthwise across a branch, often resembling a part of the tree.
Bird songs courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.
WHAT I CAN DO TO HELP
Volunteer to monitor whip-poor-wills in western North Carolina! Volunteers conduct night-time roadside listening surveys each spring, recording the number of calling whip-poor-wills and chuck-wills-widow. For more information contact Chris Kelly at (828) 230-1320 or kellych@earthlink.net. |
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ALMOND, N.C. (Jan. 31, 2008) – When night falls and the whip-poor-will calls, biologists and volunteers will be listening. And counting.
Heard but rarely seen, this nocturnal bird is named for the sound of its call, a rhapsodic “whip-pur-will.” Surveys and monitoring are needed since biologists lack detailed information on its habitat, status, and population trends in western North Carolina.
You can help, with or without listening and counting. This tax season, check Line 26 Option of your state income tax form to give any portion of your refund to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund. The fund helps the Wildlife Diversity Program of the N.C. Wildlife Resources with projects such as whip-poor-will surveys and monitoring.
“The generosity of North Carolinians through the Tax Check-off allows us to assess population changes and implement conservation actions that benefit whip-poor-wills and their habitat,” said Chris Kelly, Mountain Wildlife Diversity biologist. “First, we will better map out their distribution by setting up survey routes throughout the region. Then we will shift the focus to research about habitat associations and management needs.”
Tax season isn’t the only time to give to wildlife. Other ways to help North Carolina’s wildlife and their habitats year-round are:
Donations also can be sent to:
Non-game and Endangered Wildlife Fund, 1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1722. Make checks payable to NCWRC. All donations are tax-deductible.
A Pair of Whip-Poor-Will Chicks
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