Chuck-will's-widow

Overview

Chuck-will's-widow: Large nightjar with entire body complexly mottled with brown, gray, and black. Collar is white, throat is brown, and breast patch is dark brown. The tail is white-edged. Legs and feet are brown. Feeds at night, mostly on insects. Bouyant, silent flight with flicking wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Chuck-will's-widow: Breeds from Kansas, Indiana, and Long Island south to Gulf coast states. Spends winters chiefly in the tropics, but a few winter in Florida and along the Gulf coast. Open woodlands and clearings near agricultural country are preferred habitats.

INTERESTING FACTS

The common name of the Chuck-will’s-widow derives from its continuous, repetitive song that is often heard at night.
They belong to the family of goatsuckers. The name is based on an ancient belief that they fed on goats' milk at night, but their nighttime attraction to goats and other livestock was probably due to the presence of insects that were attracted to the animals.
They hibernate during the winter instead of migrating by dropping their body tempture from 102 F to 65 F, it's breathing slows and digestion stops until spring.
"Chuckwuts-widow" is another common name less often found, but also imitating the rhythm of the bird's calls.

The Chuck-will's Widow is currently rated as Least Concern. This bird is primarily located in the southeastern portions of United States, preferring regions consisting of pine woods and swamps. Chuck-will's-Widow migrates to Central America, West Indies and northwestern South America. This bird is commonly confused with another bird, the Whip-poor-will, but they are two different birds. There is no immediate concern regarding the population of this bird species and it is not considered to be in immediate danger of possible population decrease.