Eastern Whip-poor-will Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Eastern Whip-poor-wills are medium-sized birds with a large, rounded head and a stout chest that tapers to a long tail and wings, giving them a distinctly front-heavy look.

  Relative Size

  Smaller than a Chuck-will’s-widow; about the size of a Common Nighthawk.

  between robin and crow

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 8.7-10.2 in (22-26 cm)
    • Weight: 1.5-2.3 oz (43-64 g)
    • Wingspan: 17.7-18.9 in (45-48 cm)

  © Daniel Murphy / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Like all nightjars, Eastern Whip-poor-wills are patterned with a complicated mottling of gray and brown, which camouflages them nearly perfectly with leaf litter or tree bark. They have a blackish throat bordered at the bottom by a neat, white bib. Males have white corners to the tail; on females, these spots are dull buff.

• Behavior

  Eastern Whip-poor-wills are strictly nocturnal. At night they rest on the ground or perch horizontally on low trees and fly up to catch moths and other aerial insects. They chant their loud, namesake whip-poor-will song continuously on spring and summer evenings. During the day, Eastern Whip-poor-wills roost on the ground or on a tree limb and are very difficult to spot.
• Habitat

  Look for Eastern Whip-poor-wills in eastern forests with open understories. They can be found in both purely deciduous and mixed deciduous-pine forests, often in areas with sandy soil.