POOR-WILL. 



418. Phalaenoptilus nuttalli. 1% inches 



Male with three outer tail feathers broadly tipped 

 with white; female with tail feathers narrowly tipped 

 with buff. In certain localities in the West, these 

 soft plumaged little Goat-suckers are quite common, 

 but they cannot be regarded as common east of the 

 Rockies. At dusk they commence to wake up and 

 their notes may frequently be heard. These are 

 uttered while perched on the ground or in trees, like 

 the calls of the Whip-poor-wills, and not on the wing 

 after the manner of the Nighthawk. If discovered in 

 the daytime, they can easily be caught, as they seem 

 stupid and trust entirely to their color protection. 



Note. A mournful poor-will-ee. 



Nest. Two eggs laid on the bare ground or rocks 

 either in the open or under a small bush. The eggs are 

 white with sometimes a faint suspicion of markings; 

 size 1.00 x .75. 



Range. Western U. S., breeding in Kansas, Nebras- 

 ka and Dakota, and west of the Rockies to British 

 Columbia. Winters in Mexico. 



