Chuck-will's-widow
Caprimulgus carolinensis
Rangewide Distribution:
Southeastern United States & Gulf Coast
Abundance: Locally common
Breeding Habitat: Open pine-oak woods & forest edges
Nest: Lays in approximately same dead-leaf area yearly
Eggs: 2(?) cream, pink, or white; usually with brown, purple
or gray marks
Incubation: 20+ days
Fledging: 17 days |
Due to their nocturnal behavior, Chuck-will's-widows, like
Whip-poor-wills, are most often detected by their calls. The largest
of our nightjars, Chuck-will's-widows emit a low, whistled vocalization
that begins with an explosive "chuck." They are commonly
heard in the rural forests of southern Missouri from mid-spring
through September. Chuck-will's-widows nest on the forest floor,
usually in fairly dense, brushy cover. They have expanded their
range northward during this century (Peterjohn and Rice 1991).
Code Frequency
Chuck-will's-widows were easily detected and identified by sound
during night surveying. Thus, in most blocks they were recorded
as possible breeders. Territoriality, also documented by vocalizations,
accounted for most of the probable breeding evidence. As is true
for most goatsuckers, their nests were difficult to find. Chuck-will's-widows
may have bred in the majority of the blocks where they were recorded.
 Average Number of Birds / 100 stops |
Distribution
Chuck-will's-widows ranged throughout the Ozarks and Ozark Border
natural divisions in regions where extensive forest and forest
edges provided suitable breeding habitat. They were absent from
the largely-deforested Mississippi Lowlands and a large portion
of the Springfield Plateau. The northern-most confirmation, a
nest with Eggs:, was in northern Boone County. This species is
a very rare breeder in the Glaciated Plains of northern Missouri
(Robbins & Easterla 1992). Thus, scattered possible breeding
locations across the northern counties were expected. Some of
these may have been breeding-range pioneers or vagrant, unmated
individuals.
Phenology
Chuck-will's-widows arrive in late April and early May (Robbins
and Easterla 1992). The few observations of nests or nesting behavior
provided a limited picture of breeding phenology. The late date
for a nest with young could be attributed to a renesting attempt
as Chuck-will's-widows are reported by Rohwer (1971) to be single-brooded.
| Breeding Phenology |
Evidence
(# of Records) |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
AUG |
SEP |
| NB (1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6/10 |
|
6/10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| NE (4) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6/01 |
|
|
6/10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| NY (1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8/05 |
|
8/05 |
|
|
|
|
|
Breeding Evidence
Reported in 324 (26.8%) of 1,207 blocks
|
| Blocks |
% of Blocks |
| |
Confirmed |
8 |
2.4% |
|
Probable |
110 |
34.0% |
| |
Possible |
206 |
63.6% |
Home|Lists
of Illustrations and Tables|Preface|Acknowledgments|Introduction|The Natural Divisions of Missouri|Guide to Species Accounts|Index of Bird Accounts|Appendix A.|Appendix
B.|Appendix C.|Appendix
D.|Appendix E.|Literature Cited
Document
ID: --
Content
revision: --
