Owls

Whip-poor-will

Caprimulgus vociferus
Whip-poor-will thumbnail
Length: 10 in. (28 cm )
Seen only rarely during the daytime when it hides camouflaged against the leaf litter or a tree branch, this nocturnal bird is also hard to see at night time. Only its continuously repeated song lets you know how common it is. The nest is a scrape in the leaf litter in a forest opening. The diet is insects, especially moths, which are caught in mid air as the Whip-poor-will swoops low over forest clearings. The population in the west is considered a separate species by some experts, the Mexican Whip-poor-will.

The four-digit banding code is WPWI.


Fir forest

Oak-pine woodland
Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
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Bibliographic details:

  • Article: Whip-poor-will
  • Author(s): Dr. Biology
  • Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
  • Date published: July 13, 2017
  • Date accessed: March 7, 2024
  • Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/whip-poor-will

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (2017, July 13). Whip-poor-will. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved March 7, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/whip-poor-will

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Whip-poor-will". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 July, 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/whip-poor-will

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Whip-poor-will". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 7 Mar 2024. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/whip-poor-will

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
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