Chuck-wills-widows!
On May 27th in the evening some of our crew members helped Sarah Harper set up mist nets at the Sullivan’s Island Bird Banding Station.(If you are interested in learning more about the station check out the link HERE ) Harper and her team of volunteers were hoping to catch, band, and release Chuck-wills-widows or even a common nighthawk! Both species are a type of nightjar, most active at night and insectivores. Unfortunately the team did not catch any, but they heard a lot of individuals and saw them flying OVER the nets!
Chuck-will’s-widows get their name from their unique call that sounds like the phrase “Chuck-wills-widow”. One of their bird “doppelgängers” is the Whip-poor-will, however, the Chucks are longer in their wings, larger, and more reddish. Another difference is more white in the tail for the Chuck and a “huge flat head”.
Their preferred habitat for breeding is in forests of pine, hickory, and oak in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern states. in thickets. Chuck-wills-widows are ground nesters and will protect their nests by placing nests in thickets along open habitats (think by the edge of a road or a cleared forest edge).
Typically, Chucks eat moths or beetles but have been documented eating other birds like warblers or even bats! Some scientists suspect that in addition to habitat loss, nest disturbance, and the use of pesticides or insecticides have lead to a declining Chuck-wills-widow population. Because they are nocturnal, it can be difficult to count the individuals. This is one reason bird banding stations are trying to catch and band this species!
We don’t have a photo of a Chuck-wills-widow but please check out the photo gallery linked below to All About Birds from the Cornell Lab!