Who else wonders where our whip-poor-wills have gone? If you can remember this wonderful bird singing at dusk, but yet hardly ever seen, you may also wonder what has happened to them.
The song of the elusive bird was something I had enjoyed in my childhood. This nighttime serenade was something forever etched in my increasingly distant memories of lazy summer evenings sitting 
on my uncle’s back porch near a patch of woods, with relatives who have long since passed.
There was something magical about listening to a small bird hauntingly repeat its name over, and over again. As I recently recalled those memories, I realized that I have not heard their call in many years. Several sources indicate that the whippoorwills (among other birds) are declining in numbers, which is sad. The cause for this decline seems to be unclear, though I suspect that human activities are probably contributing to this.
The eastern whip-poor-will belongs to a group of nocturnal insect-eating birds known as “nightjars” because of their nocturnal habits and the jarring aspect of their vocalizations. In folklore, the call of the whip-poor-will was considered an omen of death and substantial calling of the birds indicated an impending storm. The Mohegan tribe of Native Americans held the belief that makiwasug (magic little people
) traveled through the forest at night in the shape of whip-poor-wills. Whip-poor-wills perch on branches or sit on the ground where they fly up to catch beetles, mosquitoes, gnats, and a variety of moths. The birds are most active on moonlit nights when moths and other nocturnal insects are backlit against the bright night sky.
The whip-poor-will is named for the male’s repeated springtime nocturnal calling. The amorous bachelors call mainly at dusk and dawn to attract females. Whip-poor-will breeding habitat is usually in uplands, primarily deciduous and mixed forest adjacent to large clearings.
They lay usually two eggs on the ground under trees or under bushes, at woods' edge or in open woodland. The whip-poor-will lays its eggs in phase with the lunar cycle, so that the eggs hatch on average 10 days before a full moon. When the moon is near full, the adults can forage the entire night to provide the nestlings with insects.
Since the mid-1900s, however, the cries of these insectivores have become increasingly rare throughout much of their range in eastern North America. The North American Breeding Bird Survey notes that in Canada, where whip-poor-wills nest, the population of this species declined by 75 percent between 1968 and 2007. The plight of this nocturnal bird, rarely seen even in the days when it was commonly heard, is finally garnering attention, but researchers face a formidable challenge in reversing the species’ decline. The whip-poor-will’s decline is a complex issue that likely stems from a combination of several factors.
A decline in aerial insects, especially moths, could be contributing to the decline of whip-poor-wills and other insect-eating birds, including the common nighthawk. Dependence on aerial insects is something all nightjars have in common. Some scientists believe agricultural pesticides might be playing a role, as well. Habitat loss and composition changes might also be key factors in the decline. Whip-poor-wills are an edge species that needs a mix of young-forest areas for nesting and open areas for foraging.
Locations meeting these specific habitat requirements have dwindled in the northeastern United States and Canada through a combination of development and forest maturation, resulting in fewer prime spots for whip-poor-wills. Controlled burns are already being used in New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to restore habitats for various species, including whip-poor-wills. Let’s hope this bird’s song doesn’t disappear forever from our forests. Feel free to comment and be sure to hit the “Like” button at the end of this post.