Common poorwill

Many northern birds migrate to winter within the breeding range in central and western Mexico, though some remain further north. Remarkably, the Common Poorwill is the only bird known to go into torpor for extended periods . This happens on the southern edge of its range in the United States, where it spends much of the winter inactive, concealed in piles of rocks. This behavior has been reported in California and New Mexico. Such an extended period of torpor is close to a state of hibernation, not known among other birds. It was described definitively by Dr. Edmund Jaeger in 1948 based on a Poorwill he discovered hibernating in the Chuckwalla Mountains of California in 1946.

The Common poorwill is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

North American RangeThe highly cryptic Common Poorwill is heard far more often than it is seen. It is smaller than a nighthawk, with a shorter tail. Common Poorwills are mottled gray and brown with a white band across the chest and a pale collar around the neck. The upperparts vary from dark brown to light gray. Most, if not all, of the Common Poorwills in Washington are dark. More

of the Common Poorwill in North America. The Common Poorwill, noted for its distinctive call and its ability to enter a state of deep daily torpor under natural and laboratory conditions, is the only bird known to spend long periods during winter completely inactive. Common Poorwills are perceived to be rare or uncommon residents throughout the high rolling prairies, semi-arid flats, and rocky foothills of western North America, a region that forms its chief habitat. More

The Common Poorwill, Phalaenoptilus nuttallii, is a nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, the nightjars. It is found from British Columbia and southeastern Alberta, through the western United States to northern Mexico. The bird's habitat is dry, open areas with grasses or shrubs, and even stony desert slopes with very little vegetation. Many northern birds migrate to winter within the breeding range in central and western Mexico, though some remain further north. More

The Common Poorwill is a nightjar, meaning it is nocturnal. This bird feeds at night on moths, beetles and grasshoppers. Its distribution spans through British Columbia, southeastern Alberta, the western United States, and western Mexico. Populations which are located further north will migrate in winter months to central and western Mexico. The natural habitat of this species is dry, open areas of grass, shrubs, or rocky desert slopes with very little vegetation. More

I came to be involved with the Common Poorwill seen on the left when Wild At Heart notified me of an injured "owl" in a parking lot in Phoenix. The owl turned out to be a stunned Common Poorwill and Wild At Heart suggested I take it to Arizona Go Wild for immediate care. I have done Poorwill rescues before, but this time when I picked up the bird it hissed at me. Apparently common knowledge to rehabbers, I was unaware they made this type of sound. More

The Common Poorwill, named for its distinctive poor-will call, is the smallest nightjar occurring in North America. This bird is noted for its ability to enter torpor under a variety of conditions. Although probably not a true form of hibernation (Csada & Brigham 1992), poorwills use torpor both in winter and summer as a means of coping with cold and extreme heat. Even incubating adults will occasionally enter torpor. More

● Foraging & Feeding: Common Poorwill: Feeds on moths, beetles, grasshoppers, locusts, and other insects; catches insects on the ground, or vaults upward to capture them in the air. ● Breeding & nesting: Common Poorwill: Two white to light pink eggs, sometimes spotted with violet, are laid in a depression on the bare ground, gravel, or flat rock, sometimes on dead leaves or pine needles, commonly shaded by a small bush, clump of grass, or overhanging rock. More

A small nightjar of the arid West, the Common Poorwill is the smallest member of its family in North America. It is one of the few birds known to hibernate during the winter. More

In 1804, Meriwether Lewis observed hibernating Common Poorwills in North Dakota during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Though these observations were recorded carefully in Lewis's journal, their significance was not understood. This was at least in part because the Common Poorwill was not then recognized as a species distinct from the Whip-poor-will of eastern North America. Native Americans of the Hopi tribe were likely aware of the Poorwill's behavior even earlier—the Hopi word for the bird means "The Sleeping One". More

Common Poorwill that was cold to the touch and appeared not to be breathing or to have a heartbeat. Although poorwills do not enter true hibernation like some mammals, they use short-term 'torpor'-their body temperature drops as low as 43 More

A very camouflaged common poorwill on her nest. Lawrence County, South Dakota. June 24, 2006. I accidentally flushed her from the nest on June 23, 2006. Harding County, South Dakota. May 29, 2005. - All photos are copyrighted. We grant permission to use these photos for non-profit, educational purposes provided photo credit is given. Permission is required for publication in any form. More

The original Common Poorwill sound recording was produced using a Sennheiser MKH70 shotgun microphone and the audio was stored on a 48 ksps DAT using a Tascam DA-P1 digital audio recorder. The recording was down-sampled to 44.1 ksps and converted to MPEG3 to reduce the file size. The distance from the microphone to the bird is unknown for both recording sections. download mpeg3 recording (pwsngcal.mp3) download mpeg3 decoder 12/03/02 - New page added for a rescued Common Poorwill that "clucks". More

The Common Poorwill is a resident of high rolling prairies, desert scrub and rocky foothills at elevations around 4,000 feet. It is noted for its distinctive call and ability to enter a temporary daily hibernation called torpor. In fact this is the only known bird to spend long periods during winter months completely inactive, day and night. In 1946, a California ornithologist found a Common Poorwill in a rock crevice one day during winter. More

Remarkably, the Common Poorwill is the only bird known to go into torpor for extended periods (weeks to months). This happens on the southern edge of its range in the United States, where it spends much of the winter inactive, concealed in piles of rocks. This behavior has been reported in California and New Mexico. Such an extended period of torpor is close to a state of hibernation, not known among other birds. It was described definitively by Dr. More

is the Common Poorwill, which can be found throughout much of western South Dakota. The Common Poorwill is a small nightjar. Like other members of the family, coloration is cryptic. The birds blend in so well with their habitat that they are rarely seen and they will not flush until almost stepped on. The best time to find Common Poorwills is at night, when they are calling. Like the Whip-poor-will and Chuck-will’s-widow, the Common Poorwill is named for its distinctive call. More

The Common Poorwill is told from similar nightjars by its small size, short bill, rounded wings with tips that reach the end of the short tail at rest, and pale gray coloration. Like many other nightjars, the common name derives from its call, a monotonous poor-will given from dusk to dawn. At close range a third syllable of the call may be heard, resulting in a poor-will-low. It also gives a chuck note in flight. More