THE CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW. 



[Antrostomus carotin ensis.) 



In the wooded ravines and timbered 

 swamps of the southern states, the 

 Chuck-will's-widow tells of its pres- 

 ence by frequently calling its own 

 name. It^ with the whip-poor-will 

 and the night hawk, belongs to the 

 family of goatsuckers and is closely 

 related to the swifts. The family 

 includes about eighty-five species of 

 these peculiar birds, nearly all being na- 

 tives of the tropics, though nearly every 

 part of the world has representatives. 

 The range of the Chuck-will's-widow is 

 quite limited. It includes the states from 

 Virginia and southern Illinois southward 

 to the Gulf of Mexico, and through Mex- 

 ico into Central America. It is also 

 found in Cuba. 



Chuck-will's-widow is a bird of the 

 twilight and night hours. Silent during 

 the daylight hours, its penetrating voice, 

 which is remarkably strong, may be con- 

 tinuously heard in the regions that it in- 

 habits during the evening hours and for 

 a time preceding the returning light of 

 day. It is said that on a still evening 

 its call may be heard for more than one 

 mile. In its large eyes and head, its 

 loose and somber .colored plumage, its 

 quiet flight and nocturnal habits it resem- 

 bles the owls. Its short bill and the shape 

 of the wings, permitting rapid flight, give 

 it a close relationship to the swifts. Its 

 mouth is peculiarly fitted for the capture 

 of insects. The gape is enormous, and 

 when the mouth is fully open, will meas- 

 ure nearly two inches frrm side to side. 

 It is also aided in ensnaring insects by 

 the long, bristle-like whiskers at the base 

 of the mouth. It will catch and swallow 

 the largest of the night-flying moths, and 

 though it seems almost incredible small 

 birds not infrequently form a part of its 

 diet. An observer found in the stomach 

 of one "among an indistinguishable mass 

 ■of brownish matter, a small bone, about 

 half an inch long." In another stomach 

 he found the remains of a hummingbird 

 only partially digested and well enough 

 preserved for him to identify the species. 

 Dr. F. W, Langdon states that he exam- 



ined the stomach of a female Chuck- 

 will's-widow that "contained the par- 

 tially digested body, entire, of a swamp 

 sparrow, intermingled with the feathers 

 of which were numerous remains of in- 

 sects, chiefly small beetles." 



While hunting for food the Chuck- 

 will's-widow files low J often but a few 

 feet above the surface of the ground. In 

 this habit it differs from the night-hawk, 

 which, like the swufts, seeks its food high 

 in the air. Now and then it rests, perch- 

 ing on old logs or fences, from which it 

 will launch forth in pursuit of prey which 

 its keen eyes have sighted. During the 

 da)^ it roosts in hollow trees or upon a 

 large limb in some densely shaded spot. 



It does not attempt to build a nest. 

 The two dull white eggs are laid upon 

 the ground or upon leaves in some se- 

 cluded place in woods or thickets. It is 

 said that this bird, when disturbed at its 

 nest, will remove either its eggs or the 

 young, as the case may be, to a place of 

 safety by carrying them in its mouth. 



Mr. Audubon relates the following in- 

 cident which came under his observation : 

 "When the Chuck-will's-widow, either 

 male or female (for each sits alternate- 

 ly), has discovered that the eggs have 

 been touched, it ruffles its feathers and 

 appears extremely dejected for a minute- 

 or two, after which it emits a low, mur- 

 muring cry, scarcely audible to me as L 

 lay concealed at a distance not more than? 

 eighteen or twenty yards. At this time- 

 I had seen the other parent reach the- 

 spot, flying so low over the ground tfratr 

 I thought its little feet must have touched 

 it as it skimmed along, and after a few 

 low notes and some gesticulations, all in- 

 dicative of great distress, take an egg in 

 its large m.outh, the other bird doing the 

 same, when they would fly oft' together, 

 skimming closely over the ground, until 

 they disappeared among the branches and 

 trees." Because of its night-flying habit, 

 its somber colors and its peculiar pene- 

 trating notes the Chuck-will's-widow, as 

 well as the whip-poor-will, was consid- 

 ered by the Indians a bird of ill omen. 



201 



