Chuck-Will's-Widow

This was recorded at Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina, September, 2000 during a thunderstorm. You can hear the ocean waves in the background with the sounds of the Chuck-Will's-Widow becoming fainter as the storm moves on.

The Chuck-Will's-Widow is a nocturnal bird of the nightjar family. It has been confused with the Whip-poor-will because of the similar names, but they are two completely different species. The Chuck-Will's-Widow is found in the Southeastern United States around pine wood, swamps, and coastal areas. I recorded this particular call from an ocean-front house at Hunting Island, SC; however, Hunting Island is, fortunately, not developed, so visitors can enjoy the sounds of the wild while camping. The island's vacation rentals on the beach are no longer available due to erosion.

I remember hearing this bird when I was a child, but as development moved in, the birds moved out. When I met my husband, Homer, we would hear the Chuck-Will's-Widow in the woods by his house in the sand-hills of South Carolina. I've only heard one in the distance in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina, but plan on doing some more recording before summer ends.

For more information from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, go HERE.

Clip art from: CLIPART, ETC.

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