Chuck-will's-widow

Last updated

Chuck-will's-widow
Chuck-wills-widow RWD7.jpg
Female
Song
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Caprimulgiformes
Family: Caprimulgidae
Genus: Antrostomus
Species:
A. carolinensis
Binomial name
Antrostomus carolinensis
(Gmelin, JF, 1789)
Antrostomus carolinensis map.svg
  Breeding
  Resident
  Nonbreeding
Synonyms

Caprimulgus carolinensis

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.

Contents

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. [3] 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. [4] 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. [5] [6] The generic name combines the Ancient Greek antron meaning "cavern" and stoma meaning "mouth". The specific epithet carolinensis is from the toponym Carolina. [7] The type locality is South Carolina. [8] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [6]

The common English name "chuck-will's-widow " is an onomatopoeia from the bird's song. [9] Alternative names include "chuckwuts-widow" and "chip-fell-out-of-a-oak". [10]

This bird is sometimes confused with the better-known whippoorwill (Antrostomus vociferus), [11] 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 28 to 33 cm (11 to 13 in). The wingspan can range from 58 to 66 cm (23 to 26 in). The body mass of the species is from 66 to 188 g (2.3 to 6.6 oz). [12] Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 20.1 to 22.5 cm (7.9 to 8.9 in), the tail is 13 to 15.1 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in), the bill is 1.1 to 1.4 cm (0.43 to 0.55 in) and the tarsus is 1.5 to 1.9 cm (0.59 to 0.75 in). [13]

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. [14] 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. [15] [16]

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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightjar</span> Family of birds

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called bugeaters, their primary source of food being insects. Some New World species are called nighthawks. The English word "nightjar" originally referred to the European nightjar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potoo</span> Family of nocturnal birds of tropical Central and South America

Potoos are a group of birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. The family Nyctibiidae was formerly included with the nightjars in the order Caprimulgiformes but is now placed in a separate order, Nyctibiiformes. There are seven species in two genera in tropical Central and South America. Fossil evidence indicates that they also inhabited Europe during the Paleogene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern whip-poor-will</span> Species of bird

The eastern whip-poor-will is a medium-sized bird within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, from North America. The whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less often seen because of its camouflage. It is named onomatopoeically after its song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple finch</span> Species of bird

The purple finch is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. It breeds in the northern United States, southern Canada, and the west coast of North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common potoo</span> Species of bird

The common potoo, or poor-me-ones, or urutau is one of seven species of birds within the genus Nyctibius. It is notable for its large, yellow eyes and a wide mouth. Potoos are nocturnal and are related to nightjars and frogmouths. They lack the characteristic bristles around the mouths of true nightjars.

<i>Nyctibius</i> Genus of nocturnal birds of tropical Central and South America

Nyctibius is a genus of potoos, nocturnal birds in the family Nyctibiidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauraque</span> Species of bird

The pauraque – also called the common pauraque to distinguish it from similar species – is a nightjar species, one of two birds in the genus Nyctidromus. It breeds in the subtropical and tropical regions of the New World, and except for northernmost birds it is largely resident all year round.

<i>Caprimulgus</i> Genus of birds

Caprimulgus is a large and very widespread genus of nightjars, medium-sized nocturnal birds with long pointed wings, short legs and short bills. Caprimulgus is derived from the Latin capra, "nanny goat", and mulgere, "to milk", referring to an old myth that nightjars suck milk from goats. The common name "nightjar", first recorded in 1630, refers to the nocturnal habits of the bird, the second part of the name deriving from the distinctive churring song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great potoo</span> Species of bird

The great potoo or grand potoo is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-tailed nightjar</span> Species of bird

The white-tailed nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in the tropic regions of Central and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hispaniolan nightjar</span> Species of bird

The Hispaniolan nightjar is a nightjar species endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montane nightjar</span> Species of bird

The montane nightjar, mountain nightjar or Abyssinian nightjar, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is native to upland regions of Central and Eastern Africa where it is a locally common species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous nightjar</span> Species of bird

The rufous nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky nightjar</span> Species of bird

The dusky nightjar or dusky whip-poor-will is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.

<i>Hydropsalis</i> Genus of birds

Hydropsalis is a genus of nightjars in the family Caprimulgidae. The species are widely distributed across the tropical and subtropical regions of the New World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scissor-tailed nightjar</span> Species of bird

The scissor-tailed nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is distributed over much of eastern South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short-tailed nighthawk</span> Species of bird

The short-tailed nighthawk is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Mexico, in every Central American country except El Salvador, in Trinidad and Tobago, and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern potoo</span> Species of bird

The northern potoo is a nocturnal bird belonging to the potoo family, Nyctibiidae. It is found from Mexico south to Costa Rica, and on the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the common potoo but is now usually treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations.

<i>Antrostomus</i> Genus of birds

Antrostomus is a genus of nightjars formerly included in the genus Caprimulgus. They are medium-sized nocturnal birds with long pointed wings, short legs and short bills.

The Timor nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in Southeast Asia on the islands of Timor, Rote and Wetar in the Lesser Sunda Islands

References

  1. BirdLife International (2020). "Antrostomus carolinensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T22689778A154067182. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22689778A154067182.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  3. Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 1 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 1028.
  4. Catesby, Mark (1729–1732). The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (in English and French). Vol. 1. London: W. Innys and R. Manby. p. 8, Plate 8.
  5. Bonaparte, Charles Lucien (1838). A Geographical and Comparative List of the Birds of Europe and North America. London: John Van Voorst. p. 8.
  6. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2022). "Frogmouths, Oilbird, potoos, nightjars". IOC World Bird List Version 12.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  7. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  50, 92. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  8. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1940). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 197.
  9. Straight, C.A.; Cooper, R.J. (2020). Poole, A.F. (ed.). "Chuck-will's-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis), version 1.0" . Birds of the World. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.chwwid.01 . Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  10. Cleere, Nigel (2010). "Appendix 2 – Alternative English Names". Nightjars, Potoos, Frogmouths, Oilbird and Owlet-nightjars of the World. Old Basing: WILDGuides. pp. 443–447. ISBN   978-1-903657-07-2.
  11. 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.
  12. Chuck Wills Widow. All About Birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
  13. Holyoak, D.T. (2001): Nightjars and their Allies: the Caprimulgiformes. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York. ISBN   0-19-854987-3.
  14. "Call recording". www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu. Retrieved Dec 21, 2022.
  15. Owre, Oscar (September 1967). "Predation by the Chuck-will's-widow upon migrating warblers" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin . 79 (3): 342.
  16. Thayer, Gerald H (1899). "The Chuck-will's-widow on shipboard" (PDF). The Auk . 16 (3): 273–276. doi:10.2307/4069463. JSTOR   4069463.

Sources

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Antrostomus carolinensis at Wikimedia Commons