Basic Description

On desert nights in western North America, Common Poorwills chant their name into the darkness for hours on end. During the day, these gray-brown nightjars stay camouflaged against the ground and are extremely hard to see. The warm days and often very cold nights pose challenges for nocturnal insect-eaters such as poorwills, as insects are less active in the cold. As an adaptation, poorwills can go into a state of torpor when conditions are harsh and ​food is scarce, saving energy until conditions improve.