The Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) is a mysterious little bird often confused with a rock, sometimes to its detriment. One can find this little bird sitting on the ground in open, grassy areas. And, if a dark road happens to cut through that habitat, these rock lookalikes are at risk of getting hit. Though the Common Poorwill’s eyes shine bright in headlights, unsuspecting drivers may approach a resting bird at an unfortunately high speed.
Back in October, we were standing on a desolate road up on a ridge at dusk. Brushy pastures and nearby stands of trees surrounded us, and we had our eyes peeled for owls. As last light faded, a small shadowy object fluttered to the ground just five feet from us. “Could it possibly be!??!” we thought. It was!!! We froze in astonishment that a Common Poorwill would land so close, and not four seconds later it fluttered up and out into the night, and we lost sight of it in the darkness. Later when heading home, we drove slowly with our brights on. As luck would have it, the bird pictured below caught our attention, his eyes reflecting our headlights back at us. Two encounters in one night! We were giddy for days!
The Common Poorwill is unique in that it enters a state of torpor (akin to hibernation), where it slows its heart rate and drops its body temperature for extended periods of time to conserve energy. It belongs to the nightjar family (Caprimulgidae), and is the smallest of those found in North America. Its small size, short white-edged tail, and thin white collar distinguish it from other nightjars we see in the United States like the Eastern Whip-poor-will, Chuck-will’s-widow, Lesser Nighthawk, and Common Nighthawk. This strange bird has so many neat features, another of which is its incredibly cool sonar voice.
The following isn’t ours, but is a high-quality recording from Macaulay Library courtesy of Chris Wood.
So, if you’re driving at night through dark open grasslands, slow down and look out for eyes shining back at you from the road. You might just see – and more importantly – save a Common Poorwill!
Great catch!