Mexican Whip-poor-will Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Mexican Whip-poor-wills are large-headed, medium-sized birds with rounded wings. They usually rest their body horizontally along the ground or a limb.

  Relative Size

  Smaller than a Chuck-will’s-widow; about the size of a Common Nighthawk.

  between robin and crow

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 9.1-9.4 in (23-24 cm)
    • Weight: 1.5-2.2 oz (42-61.9 g)
    • Wingspan: 18.9 in (48 cm)

  © Doug Smith / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Mexican Whip-poor-wills are an intricate mix of black, brown, gray, buffy, and rufous that renders them almost invisible on the ground. This species has a thin buffy-white collar, contrasting with black throat and breast feathers. Adult males sport bold white tips to their outer tail feathers, while females show more limited buffy tips.

• Behavior

  Mexican Whip-poor-wills roost during the daytime, becoming active at dusk. They pursue flying insects in short flights from a perch or the ground, and are most active at dusk, dawn, and on moonlit nights.

• Habitat

  Mexican Whip-poor-wills are birds of mountain forest and woodland, often occurring in pine and pine-oak forest. In the southwestern United States, they are often associated with wooded canyons.