WHIP-POOR-WILLS 177 



General habits. — This nocturnal bird is of shy and retiring 

 habits, spending the hours of daylight in a dense, secluded 

 thicket and coming forth at dusk to utter its peculiar weird 

 call. At such times it frequently may be seen winging its way 

 silently from one copse to another, or skimming through the 

 air in pursuit of its prey. No nest is made, the eggs being 

 deposited on the bare ground or on dry leaves, usually on a 

 brush-covered hillside ; the eggs, two in number, are elliptical- 

 oval in shape, and handsomely marked. Dr. Avery says of 

 this bird : 



When frightened from its nest, or when flying late in the 

 evening, it utters a harsh note at times, and this resembles, to 

 my ear, the syllable baw! bawl baw! These notes apparently 

 of displeasure or alarm, are low and cannot be heard at a 

 great distance, while, during a still night, the "chuck-will's- 

 widow," or call note, rapidly repeated, may be heard for a mile 

 or more. These notes, during the mating season at least, are 

 uttered from dusk to about 9 p. m., and while singing they 

 usually sit on the ground, on a log or rock, or occasionally on a 

 fence rail, or on a low limb of a tree, and in such a position 

 they usually sit lengthwise, not crosswise, on the limb.* 



Audubon states that on one occasion he witnessed the re- 

 moval by the birds of their eggs, each parent taking one egg 

 in its capacious mouth,t but this habit seems thus far to be 

 unconfirmed. 



Food habits. — The food of this bird consists mainly of the 

 large night-flying moths, with beetles, winged ants, and other 

 insects. It has been known to capture small birds, such as 

 hummingbirds, warblers, and sparrows, and these it is enabled 

 to pass through its capacious gullet entire. 



WHIP-POOR-WILL: Setochcdcis vocifera vocifera 

 (Wilson) .J 



State records. — The whip-poor-will is mainly a northern 

 bird and in Alabama occurs as a summer resident only in the 

 mountains. During migration it may be found in all parts 



•Quoted by Bendire, Life histories of North American birds [vol. 2], p. 143, 1896. 

 tAudubon, J. J., Ornith. Biog., vol. 1, p. 276, 1831. 



tAntrostomns vociferus vociferus of the A. O. U. Check-list ; for change of name see 

 The Auk, vol. 34, p. 203, 1917. 



