Whippoorwill; Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) | Affiliated Manuscripts | Further Data

Occurrence in Amherst & Connecticut Valley, Mass.

C19

Not uncommon summer resident

May - September

C20

Common summer resident in all woods, and still more common transient in May and September; arrives April (20, 21, 23) 25, departs October 14 (21, 28). —Bagg & Eliot

April - October

C21

Often not heard before mid-May or after late summer; arrives late April and early May, departs late September. —Mass Audubon

April - September

Habitat

dry, open woodlands, near fields

Nest Materials

leaf-litter on the deepest forest floor

19th-20th Century Field Notes

WHIPPOORWILL . Mottled with black , white , gray and tawny ; first three pairs of tail feathers , white or tawny . Length , 9 - 10 inches . Not uncommon summer resident . Earliest arrival , May 5 , 1886 ; departs in September . Raises 1 brood . Eggs 2 , white , beautifully spotted with brown and lavender ; laid on the ground in deep woods , during the last of May . Feeds on insects . Very beneficial . Note , a vociferous calling of three syllables , often repeated .

—H.L. Clark, 1887

21st Century Conservation Notes

Near threatened*