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Range (Eastern United States breeds)

Eastern United States; breeds from North Carolina and Illinois southward; winters from our southern borders southward; accidental in Massachusetts.

Cambridge, A. V., one record, Dec.

Eggs, two, laid on the ground or leaves, in woods or thickets, dull white, with delicate, obscure pale lilac markings, and a few distinct brownish-gray spots, 1.40 × 98.

Generally speaking, this species resembles the Whip-poor-will in habits. Its notes are quite similar to those of that species, but are louder, less rapidly uttered, and each call has an additional syllable. Its gape is enormous, the wide-open mouth of an adult measuring about two inches from corner to corner. For this reason it can swallow large objects with ease, and both Hummingbirds and Sparrows have been found in Chuck-will's-widow's stomach. Perhaps they were mistaken for large moths. 417. Antrostomus vociferus (Wils.). WHIP-POOR-WILL. Ad. 8. -Upper parts streaked with black, the head finely mottled with black and white, the back mottled with ochraceous-buff and black; primaries black, with broken rufous bars; tail irregularly barred with black and mottled with whitish or cream-buff; end half of three outer feathers white; black on the outer vane of the outer feather extending farther down than on the others; throat and breast blackish, finely mottled with cream-buff or ochraceous-buff'; a narrow white band across the upper breast; belly cream-buff, irregularly barred with blackish; base of the bill beset with long, stiffened bristles, which are without hairlike branches. Ad. q. - Similar, but three outer tailfeathers narrowly tipped with ochraceous-buff; band on the throat creambuff instead of white. L., 9.75; W., 6·08; T., 465; B., 37.