The Ozarks Chronicle/Birds of the Ozarks Region

Chuck-wills-widow will keep you awake

When I moved to Rolla in the early 1990’s I was fascinated by some night sounds that were new to me. I generally really enjoy the night sounds of the Ozarks, but I have a love/hate relationship with a bird of the nightjar family that is very common in the summer around my home. It is a delight to hear the call of the Chuck-wills-widow, Caprimulgus carolinensis, “chuk weeyo WEEdow” in the early evening along with the Whip-poor-wills, tree frogs and cicadas, but when it’s time for bed, I want it (and the Whip-poor-wills) to pipe down! Chuck’s widow often goes on…and on…and on - especially if the bird is close to your bedroom window!

If you have been lucky enough to see one of these nocturnal, secretive, and well-camouflaged birds you know what I mean when I say they are strange-looking creatures. They are about 12” tip to tail with a wingspan of 26” and a huge, whiskered mouth that helps them to catch insects on the wing. Similar to owls anatomically, they are able to fly silently. They have relatively large heads and rounded wings. Their rufous brown and grey coloring can make them invisible when perched motionless on the ground or lengthwise on the trunk or branch of a tree. When driving you might see their eyes reflected in your headlights as orange or red points of light because of their curious habit of resting in the open on quiet roads just after sunset or just before sunrise.

Females CWW’s normally lay two eggs on bare leafy or gravelly ground in pine/oak woods. The female, perfectly camouflaged on the nest, won’t flush unless you are about to step on her. This is how I saw my first one and it startled me so, I took a tumble trying to avoid stepping on her eggs! After about 20 days of incubation by the female, the babies hatch and are semiprecocial (eyes open, downy feathers, dependent). They will leave the nest in 17 days at which time they are still significantly smaller than adults, but able to fly very well.

John James Audubon was among the first to report that when the nest is disturbed each parent will take an egg in its large mouth, and fly off together, presumably to a safer spot.

I’ve always wondered: Did Chuck Will’s widow become one because someone Whipped poor Will to death? Let me know if you know the answer to the mystery!