Creatures Heard But Rarely Seen:
Chuck-will’s-widow
O
By Frances Boyd
ne of the first times we came to
Photo by Rhys Marsh, www.flickr.com/photos/rhys_marsh/
Kiawah as a family, I was kept awake
almost all night by a relentless noise
right outside my window. I could
not identify the source of the sound; but the baser
instincts in me, as a result of sleep deprivation,
wanted to strangle whatever creature was causing it.
On recurring visits to Kiawah, sometimes we
heard what we assumed was some type of bird,
sometimes we didn’t. It wasn’t until we moved here
full time that an “in-the-know” neighbor told us
we were hearing a Chuck-will’s-widow, named
for the call it makes. OK, hearing that name in
the bird’s call can be a stretch, but… IF for some
reason you have never heard a Chuck-will’s-widow,
you can Google the name to hear multiple sources
of the infamous song.
The Chuck-will’s-widow (Antrostomus
carolinensis) is a “nightjar” and the largest North
American member of the Caprimulgidae bird
family. Its much smaller cousin, the Whip-poor-
44
will, has been immortalized in song and literature
(remember Tammy?) and has a wider geographical
range. Chuck-will’s-widows are about a foot long
and have a wingspan of two feet, making it seem
like they should be easy to spot. But no, their
coloring causes them to blend in perfectly with
the woodland floor of Kiawah’s maritime forests.
We hear their distinctive call
only in the summer months
when they stop by to breed. Nest
making, however, is not part of
their breeding process. In fact,
they do not make nests at all;
instead, the eggs are simply laid
on the ground in dense thickets.
While in the open and seemingly
vulnerable, the chicks are rarely
disturbed unless accidentally
stepped on.
While Chuck-will’s-widows
are rarely seen, and not
remarkable in appearance when
spotted, these birds (along with
their relatives), serve a very
useful environmental purpose.
They eat copious amounts of
moths, beetles, and dragonflies
usually during the night as they hunt low to the
ground with agility and precision, a feat not
obvious when considering their bulky size and
daylight inactivity. An unfortunate decline in
the species has put them on a “watch” list, which
means that, unless significant conservation efforts
occur, these birds will continue to decline in
population. So, the next time you are kept awake
by the incessant call of these interesting birds, just
be grateful that they are able to find a hospitable
environment in which to breed and raise a family
here on Kiawah Island. NK
Main Source: “All About Birds,” The Cornell Lab of
Ornithology
Naturally Kiawah