NightjarsChuck-will's-widowAntrostomus carolinensis
- ORDER: Caprimulgiformes
- FAMILY: Caprimulgidae
Basic Description
Listen at dusk and at night for the rolling, seemingly endless call of the Chuck-will’s-widow. If you are lucky and have a keen eye, by day they can be found resting motionless on the ground or on a horizontal branch. This is the largest nightjar in North America, but their dappled brown plumage makes them blend in perfectly to dry woodlands of the Southeast.
More ID InfoOther Names
- Chotacabras de la Carolina (Spanish)
- Engoulevent de Caroline (French)
- Cool Facts
- The Chuck-will 's-widow hunts actively by flying low over the ground in search of insects. Occasionally, small birds and bats are included in its diet.
- The oldest recorded Chuck-will's-widow was a male, and at least 14 years, 10 months old when he was shot in the Dominican Republic and Haiti in 1992. He was originally banded in Florida in 1978.