Chuck-will's-widow

The chuck-will's-widow (''Antrostomus carolinensis'') is a nocturnal bird of the nightjar family Caprimulgidae. It is mostly found in the southeastern United States (with disjunct populations in Long Island, New York, Ontario, Canada and Cape Cod, Massachusetts) near swamps, rocky uplands, and pine woods. It migrates to the West Indies, Central America, and northwestern South America.

Taxonomy

The chuck-will's-widow was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with all the other nightjars in the genus '' Caprimulgus'' and coined the binomial name ''Caprimulgus carolinensis''. Gmelin based his description on those of earlier authors including the "Goat-sucker of Carolina" that had been described and illustrated by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his ''The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands '' that was published between 1729 and 1732. Chuck-will's-widow is now placed with 11 other species in the genus '' Antrostomus'' that was erected by the French naturalist Charles Bonaparte in 1838. The generic name combines the Ancient Greek ''antron'' meaning "cavern" and ''stoma'' meaning "mouth". The specific epithet ''carolinensis'' is from the toponym Carolina. The type locality is South Carolina. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

The common English name "chuck-will's-widow " is an onomatopoeia from the bird's song. Alternative names include "chuckwuts-widow" and "chip-fell-out-of-a-oak".

This bird is sometimes confused with the better-known whippoorwill (''Antrostomus vociferus''), because of their similar calls and unusual names. Though rather closely related, they are two distinct species.

Description

The chuck-will's-widow has a short bill and a long tail typical of the nightjars. It has mottled brownish underparts, a buff throat, reddish-brown feathers lined with black, and brown and white patterning on head and chest. Males have patches of white on their outer tail feathers. It is the largest nightjar in North America. In length, it ranges from . The wingspan can range from . The body mass of the species is from . Among standard measurements, the wing chord is , the tail is , the bill is and the tarsus is .

The repetitive song is often heard at night. It consists of a series of calls with a vibrating middle note between two shorter notes, not much shifting in pitch. It is slower, lower-pitched and less piercing than the song of the whip-poor-will.

Behavior and ecology

Diet

It eats primarily insects, particularly those active at night such as moths, beetles, and winged ants. It will also eat small birds and bats, swallowing them whole.

Breeding

The eggs are laid on patches of dead leaves on the ground. They are pink with spots of brown and lavender and are incubated by the female.

Gallery

File:Chuck-will's-widow eggs RWD.jpg, Eggs on leaves
File:Chuck-will's-widow RWD6.jpg, Camouflaged female on nest
File:Chuck-will's-widow RWD5.jpg, Mimicking a Cottonmouth snake
File:Chuck-will's-widow RWD2.jpg, Perched on a branch
File:Chuck-will's-widow RWD3.jpg, Perched on a branch
File:Caprimulgus carolinensisDF28N01B.jpg, Adult male (upper right) and female (lower left)
File: Chuck-will’s-widow_Tex.jpg, South Padre Island - Texas

References

Sources

*

External links

audubon.org


– USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter


– Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Chuck-will's-widow Bird Sound

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1262147

Antrostomus
Nightjars
Birds of the United States
Birds of Hispaniola
Birds of the Dominican Republic
Chuck-will's-widow
Birds described in 1789
Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin