Bird Guide

Chuck-will's-widow vs Eastern Whip-poor-will

Chuck-will's-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis)

Chuck-will's-widow

Antrostomus carolinensis

Medium109 gWoodland

The chuck-will's-widow has a short bill and a long tail typical of the nightjars. It has mottled brownish underparts, a buff throat, reddish-brown feathers lined with black, and brown and white patterning on head and chest. Males have patches of white on their outer tail feathers. It is the largest nightjar in North America. In length, it ranges from 28 to 33 cm (11 to 13 in). The wingspan can range from 58 to 66 cm (23 to 26 in). The body mass of the species is from 66 to 188 g (2.3 to 6.6 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 20.1 to 22.5 cm (7.9 to 8.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: steve · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Shawn Taylor · CC BY 2.0
Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus)

Eastern Whip-poor-will

Antrostomus vociferus

Small53 gForest

This medium-sized nightjar measures 22–27 cm (8+1⁄2–10+1⁄2 in) in length, spans 45–50 cm (17+1⁄2–19+1⁄2 in) across the wings and weighs 42–69 g (1+1⁄2–2+7⁄16 oz). Further standard measurements are a wing chord of 14.7 to 16.9 cm (5+13⁄16 to 6+5⁄8 in), a tail of 10.5 to 12.8 cm (4+1⁄8 to 5+1⁄16 in), a bill of 1 to 1.4 cm (3⁄8 to 9⁄16 in) and a tarsus of 1.5 to 1.8 cm (9⁄16 to 11⁄16 in). Adults have mottled plumage: the upperparts are grey, black and brown; the lower parts are grey and black. They have a very short bill and a black throat.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: steve · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Louis Agassiz Fuertes · Public domain

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Chuck-will's-widow and Eastern Whip-poor-will.