Friday's Foto

Chuck-will's-widow, Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY

One of our more unusual looking birds is the Chuck-will's-widow. More often heard than seen, their cryptic plumage, plus ability to sit completely motionless during the day, make them nearly impossible to find. This individual was roosting on the ground on a recent rainy day when a friend stumbled on it. The bird flew to a high perch where it remained until after sunset. I've experienced two others in Brooklyn over the past 30 years; one was a fleeting view at dusk, the other was singing late at night in Prospect Park, which I wrote about here.

Mostly overwintering in the West Indies, Central America, and northwestern South America, the Chuck-will's-widow is a nightjar of the same genus as the Eastern whip-poor-will. A nocturnal species, they feed primarily on insects using an extraordinarily large mouth. As of 2018, the IUCN Red List classifies their conservation status as "Near Threatened" due to moderately rapid declines in their populations. Their scientific name, Antrostomus carolinensis, means cavern mouth of Carolina.