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The '''Whip-poor-will''' or '''Whippoorwill''', '''''Caprimulgus vociferus''''', is a medium-sized (22–27 cm) [[nightjar]] from [[North America|North]] and [[Central America]]. The Whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less often seen. It is named [[Onomatopoeia|onomatopoeically]] after its call[http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/wwwsounds/birds/hardy29sh.wav].
The '''Whip-poor-will''' or '''Whippoorwill''', '''''Caprimulgus vociferus''''', is a medium-sized (22–27 cm) [[nightjar]] from [[North America|North]] and [[Central America]]. The Whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less often seen. It is named [[Onomatopoeia|onomatopoeically]] after its call[http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/wwwsounds/birds/hardy29sh.wav].


Harvie Rider of Suddenlink at tyler east is nicknamed whippoorwill. This bird is sometimes confused<ref>For example, Henninger (1906) combines the old scientific name of ''C. carolinensis'' with the common name "Whip-poor-will". As ''C. carolinensis'' does not occur in the area discussed, he obviously refers to ''C. vociferus''. In other cases, the specific identity of birds may not be determinable.</ref> with the related [[Chuck-will's-widow]] (''Caprimulgus carolinensis'') which has a similar but lower-pitched and slower call.
Harvie Rider of Suddenlink Tyler East is nicknamed whippoorwill. This bird is sometimes confused<ref>For example, Henninger (1906) combines the old scientific name of ''C. carolinensis'' with the common name "Whip-poor-will". As ''C. carolinensis'' does not occur in the area discussed, he obviously refers to ''C. vociferus''. In other cases, the specific identity of birds may not be determinable.</ref> with the related [[Chuck-will's-widow]] (''Caprimulgus carolinensis'') which has a similar but lower-pitched and slower call.


Adults have mottled plumage: the upperparts are grey, black and brown; the lower parts are grey and black. They have a very short bill and a black throat. Males have a white patch below the throat and white tips on the outer tail feathers; in the female, these parts are light brown.
Adults have mottled plumage: the upperparts are grey, black and brown; the lower parts are grey and black. They have a very short bill and a black throat. Males have a white patch below the throat and white tips on the outer tail feathers; in the female, these parts are light brown.

Revision as of 22:09, 23 October 2010

"Whippoorwill" redirects here. For ships named Whippoorwill, see USS Whippoorwill.

Whip-poor-will
Adult male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Subclass:
Neornithes
Infraclass:
Neognathae
(unranked):
Cypselomorphae
Order:
Caprimulgiformes
Family:
Caprimulgidae
Subfamily:
Caprimulginae
Genus:
Caprimulgus
Species:
C. vociferus
Binomial name
Caprimulgus vociferus
Wilson, 1812

The Whip-poor-will or Whippoorwill, Caprimulgus vociferus, is a medium-sized (22–27 cm) nightjar from North and Central America. The Whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less often seen. It is named onomatopoeically after its call[1].

Harvie Rider of Suddenlink Tyler East is nicknamed whippoorwill. This bird is sometimes confused[1] with the related Chuck-will's-widow (Caprimulgus carolinensis) which has a similar but lower-pitched and slower call.

Adults have mottled plumage: the upperparts are grey, black and brown; the lower parts are grey and black. They have a very short bill and a black throat. Males have a white patch below the throat and white tips on the outer tail feathers; in the female, these parts are light brown.

Ecology

Their habitat is deciduous or mixed woods across southeastern Canada, eastern and southwestern United States, and Central America. Northern birds migrate to the southeastern United States and south to Central America. Central American races are largely resident. These birds forage at night, catching insects in flight, and normally sleep during the day. Whip-poor-wills nest on the ground, in shaded locations among dead leaves, and usually lay two eggs at a time. The bird will commonly remain on the nest unless almost stepped upon.

The Whip-poor-will is becoming locally rare. Larry Penny has recorded a 97% decline since 1983 in New York state[citation needed]. Several reasons for the decline are proposed, such as habitat destruction, predation by feral cats and dogs, and poisoning by insecticides, but the actual causes remain elusive.[2] Still, the species as a whole is not considered globally threatened due to its large range.[3]

Cultural references

Due to the haunting, ethereal song, the Whip-poor-will is the topic of numerous legends and is frequently used as an auditory symbol of rural America. It is mentioned in Washington Irving's story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. One New England legend says the Whip-poor-will can sense a soul departing, and can capture it as it flees. This is used as a plot device in H. P. Lovecraft's story The Dunwich Horror. This is likely related to an earlier Native American and general American folk belief that the singing of the birds is a death omen.[4] The bird also features, however, in The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim's Point, a poem by the English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in which the outcast speaker asks: "Could the whip-poor-will or the cat of the glen/Look into my eyes and be bold?" [5] The bird is mentioned in the Hank Williams songs "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", "Alone & Forsaken", in the song "My Rifle, My Pony and Me" sung by Dean Martin and Rick Nelson from the film Rio Bravo, and in "Magnolia" a J J Cale song from his 1971 album Naturally. It is also mentioned in Jim Croce's "I Got A Name", Walter Donaldson/George A. Whiting's "My Blue Heaven"[6], Alan Jackson's "I Still Like Bologna" and "Midnight In Montgomery", in addition to Magnolia Electric Co.'s "Whip-Poor-Will", Randy Travis's "Deeper Than The Holler", M. Ward's "Sad, Sad Song", The Be Good Tanyas' "The Littlest Birds", Dolly Parton's "My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy", Elton John's 1975 number-one hit "Philadelphia Freedom", "Sounds So Good" by Ashton Shepherd, Nat King Cole's "That Sunday, That Summer", Ozark Mountain Daredevils "Whippoorwill", Don Henley's "Talking to the Moon" from his 1982 album I Can't Stand Still, Charles Brooks' song "Peace a Dime" composed in 2005, in the song "Brand New Angel" performed by Jeff Bridges on the 2009 soundtrack Crazy Heart, and in the 2010 Dierks Bentley song "Up on the Ridge." The bird is also mentioned in the song "The Verdant Mile" by contemporary folk legend Tracy Grammer. The Whip-poor-will is also mentioned in Elizabeth Mitchell's "Little Bird, Little Bird" alongside various other birds. Also, in the 1934 Frank Capra film It Happened One Night, before Clark Gable's character Peter Warne reveals his name to Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert), he famously says to her: "I am the whippoorwill that cries in the night" [7]

Footnotes

  1. ^ For example, Henninger (1906) combines the old scientific name of C. carolinensis with the common name "Whip-poor-will". As C. carolinensis does not occur in the area discussed, he obviously refers to C. vociferus. In other cases, the specific identity of birds may not be determinable.
  2. ^ MWP (2008)
  3. ^ BLI (2004)
  4. ^ Encyclopedia of Superstitions, p. 716
  5. ^ http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/ebbrowning/bl-ebbrown-runaway-1.htm. Lines 55-56.
  6. ^ See sheet music facsimile at www.freehandmusic.com/sheet-music/my-blue-heaven-111894
  7. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025316/quotes. Ellie Andrews: By the way, what's your name? Peter Warne: What's that? Ellie Andrews: Who are you? Peter Warne: Who me? [smiling] Peter Warne: I'm the whippoorwill that cries in the night. I'm the soft morning breeze that caresses your lovely face. Ellie Andrews: You've got a name, haven't you? Peter Warne: Yeah, I got a name. Peter Warne. Ellie Andrews: Peter Warne. I don't like it. Peter Warne: Don't let it bother you. You're giving it back to me in the morning. Ellie Andrews: Pleased to meet you, Mr. Warne. Peter Warne: The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Warne.
  • Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
  • Chesser, R. Terry, Richard C. Banks, F. keith Barker, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Andrew W. Kratter, irby J. Lovette, Pamela C. Ramussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., James D. Rising, Douglas F. Stotz, and Kevin Winker. 2010. Fifty-First Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-List of North American Birds. The Auk 127(3): 726-744.
  • Henninger, W.F. (1906): A preliminary list of the birds of Seneca County, Ohio. Wilson Bull. 18(2): 47–60. DjVu fulltext PDF fulltext
  • Massachusetts Whip-poor-will Project (MWP) (2008): Why are They Declining? Retrieved 2008-FEB-14.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caprimulgus vociferus.
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