WHIP-POOR-WILL 
The inconspicuous, brownish-gray whip-poor-will spends its days con¬ 
cealed amid woods, rocks or dense brush, and for that reason is rarely 
seen. At nightfall it sallies forth in search of moths, grasshoppers, pismires 
and other insects. Some optimists are of the belief that it eats mosquitoes. 
From time to time in its hunt it pauses on a fence-rail or stump, where it 
gives voice to the note for which it is famous. Superstitious country folk 
in some isolated regions regard the call of the whip-poor-will as an evil 
omen, while others variously describe this whistling note as “exceedingly 
beautiful,” “incredibly melodious,” and “an offensive destroyer of slum¬ 
ber.” In any case, the call usually stops about midnight, except on bright 
moonlit nights, when it may go on until morning. Late in summer, when 
the young have been born, the call is rarely heard. 
The whip-poor-will mates in April or May, depending on the climate, 
laying two eggs on the ground or on a bed of leaves. It builds no nest, 
though pictures of the whip-poor-will’s nest can be found in many old bird 
books. The chicks are born covered with a soft, fluffy down of a yellowish- 
brown color which blends perfectly with the dead leaves about them. Their 
protective coloring makes them almost invisible even at a distance of a few 
feet. The young are fed at first on ants, or on beetles and large moths par¬ 
tially digested and regurgitated by their parents. After two months the 
youngsters are able to eat whole insects. 
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