Common Poorwill
Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
Upland Ground
Length: 8 in. (20 cm )
Nocturnal and shy, this bird is much more often heard than seen. It can be found regularly sitting in the middle of a lonely gravel road where it will fly up in the headlights of a vehicle like a huge moth. Apparently it spends much of the winter in northern parts of its range in a state of torpor or hibernation concealed in rock piles. It catches insects at night in its gaping mouth by flying low over the desert floor. Its nest is a shallow depression on the ground, usually near a steep hill.
The four-digit banding code is COPO.
Male |
Chaparral
Desert
Shrubs
Bibliographic details:
- Article: Common Poorwill
- Author(s): Dr. Biology
- Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
- Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
- Date published: 13 Jul, 2017
- Date accessed:
- Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/common-poorwill
APA Style
Dr. Biology. (Thu, 07/13/2017 - 15:36). Common Poorwill. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/common-poorwill
Chicago Manual of Style
Dr. Biology. "Common Poorwill". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/common-poorwill
MLA 2017 Style
Dr. Biology. "Common Poorwill". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/common-poorwill
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