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Whippoorwill Facts, Folklore, and Haunting Night Calls

Image Credit:
Laura Gooch/Flickr Creative Commons
Written By: Joel M. Vance Humor Writer and Outdoorsman

Does the whippoorwill drink goat’s milk? Does it foretell death, marriage, or woe? Can your aching back be cured by its call? Few birds have spun such a crazed web of mythology and myth-information. At the heart of this confusion and misdirection is a medium-size bird called the whippoorwill.

Introduction to the Whippoorwill

The merit or blame for this bird’s name belongs to Aristotle. The wise philosopher took a frivolous side trip into illogic to report a ridiculous story about the whippoorwill: “Flying to the udders of she-goats, it sucks them and so it gets its name,” he reported.

It was probably the whippoorwills (or their crepuscular cousins, the nighthawks) that were snagging insects as the insects congregated around the thin-haired bellies of goats. But Aristotle’s authoritative nonsense stuck with the Caprimulgidae family (the Latin word comes from capri for “goat” and mulgere “to milk”), and one common name for the bird family is the inelegant “goatsucker.”

Whippoorwill perched on a branch at dusk.
Photo by Dominic Sherony/Flickr Media Commons.

Where Whippoorwills Live and Their Habitat

In North America, whippoorwills range from eastern Texas to southern Canada and east to the Atlantic. The night is theirs, although in both daylight and dark the birds depend on their superb camouflage to see them through. 

Whippoorwill Behavior and Courtship Rituals

Whippoorwills do their courting after sunset. The male’s spring ritual is an elaborate one, involving strutting, throat-puffing, and a variety of noises designed to convince the silent female that he is the best mate among a forest swarming with calling males. It’s almost impossible for a spring woods traveler to escape the questionable music of one of the family to which the whippoorwill belongs. If you venture into a forest in the weeks ahead, keep an ear cocked for the whippoorwill’s call and be prepared to make a wish, do a somersault, or see the Moon in a frog pond.

► Listen to the haunting call of a whippoorwill, courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

It could mean many things, according to the wealth of myth surrounding this night flyer.
The note of the whippoorwill borne over the fields is the voice with which the woods and moonlight woo me.
–Henry David Thoreau, American Writer (1817–62)

Whippoorwill Folklore and Superstitions

Old wives worked overtime to whipstitch the tattered fabric of whippoorwill folklore. Here are some examples…

  • When a single woman heard her first whippoorwill in springtime, she must have felt her heart lurch in panic, for if the bird did not call again, she would remain single for a year. If the birdsong continued, she was fated to remain single unless she had been quick-thinking and made a wish upon hearing the first call. If she kept that wish secret, she ultimately would be married.
  • Whippoorwills singing near a house were an omen of death, or at least of bad luck.
  • A man could rid himself of an aching back if he turned somersaults in time to whippoorwill calls.

Native American Beliefs About Whippoorwills

  • If an Omaha tribe Native American heard a whippoorwill’s called invitation, he or she was advised to decline it. If the bird then stopped calling, a person who had answered would die. But if the calls continued, the person would have a long life.
  • The Colorado Utes believed that the whippoorwill was one of the gods of the night and could transform a frog into the Moon.
  • The Iroquois believed that moccasin flowers were the shoes of whippoorwills.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a whippoorwill?

The whippoorwill is a medium-sized, nocturnal bird native to North America. It is known for its distinctive “whip-poor-will” call and excellent camouflage in forests.

Where do whippoorwills live?

Whippoorwills range from eastern Texas and the Gulf Coast to southern Canada and east to the Atlantic. They prefer open woodlands, forest edges, and areas with leaf litter for nesting.

What does the whippoorwill’s call mean?

The call is primarily for attracting mates and establishing territory. Folklore has also given magical or mystical attributes to the call, such as the ability to predict marriage, bad luck, or death.

Why is the whippoorwill called a “goatsucker”?

The name comes from a long-standing myth that whippoorwills suckle goats. This misconception dates back to Aristotle but is entirely false. The birds actually feed on insects.

Are whippoorwills endangered?

Whippoorwill populations have declined in some areas due to habitat loss and light pollution, but they are not considered endangered. Conservation efforts focus on protecting forest habitats.

Can I hear a whippoorwill at night?

Yes! The whippoorwill is most active at dusk and night during the breeding season. Listen for its rhythmic call, often repeated dozens or hundreds of times in a row.

Have you ever heard the call of a whippoorwill? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Bird Sounds

About The Author

Joel M. Vance

Joel M. Vance

Humor Writer and Outdoorsman

Joel M. Vance, an outdoor columnist and humor editor, spent twenty years as a conservation writer but is better known for his humorous books.

Read more from Joel M. Vance

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Comments

<span>Bill</span> Tue, 06/12/2018 - 14:13
I used to live in South Jersey and would hear the whippoorwill call every evening in the summer.
<span>D. Mcclain</span> Tue, 06/19/2018 - 09:10
Theme song for Robert Mitchem movie "Thunder Road"
<span>Laurel</span> Tue, 06/12/2018 - 14:08
My first memories of the whippoorwill's call were near my grandmother's home in the rural Shelbyville, IL area. We could hear them from the opened screen door of her kitchen in the evenings. If we heard our first whippoorwill while out on an evening walk, Grandma told me to lie down in the grass and roll over so that I wouldn't get arthritis. This was her tradition throughout her life and, to my knowledge, she never had arthritis. I live in Charleston, SC now. Just the other night, I heard the faintest call of a whippoorwill from the wooded area surrounding the ponds near my home. It brought back treasured memories of Grandma, as did this article.
<span>Cj. De Rosa</span> Tue, 06/12/2018 - 13:15
During my growing years with my grandparents living in LeFlore County/SE. Oklahoma, one could tell the changing of the season by the birds, bus and insects. I looked forward seeing the first Dragon and Fireflies, Robin, Hummingbird, June Bug and Bees; of hearing the lonesome call in the evening of the Whippoorwill, hoping to hear another respond. I learned to imitate their whistle and with no hint of what I may have said, would exchange calls with the lone Whippoorwill until another arrived. Unfortunately, in the mid 1990s seasonal lines began disappear along with many insects and birds; trees too. Temperatures rising and the humidity! unreasonable when Real Feel temp is 120F. degrees. Basically no winter; by each January we are in drought condition under burn bans. Now retired, still living in the home I had shared with my grandparents, sitting outside the same backdoor under a darkening sky, I wait, watching and listening. The Katydids and Fireflies have all but gone. It has been many years since last I saw Dragonflies floating over the yard and heard the sound of a Whippoorwill calling out in the quiet of night. Sadly, the peaceful serenity and feeling of contentment brought by the music of the night and shared with my grandparents, seems to no longer exist to share with my grandchildren. There is no better way to end a day and ready for a good night's sleep, save a soft rain on a tin roof, than the mixing sounds of an easy evening breeze softly moving the leaves of the trees, crickets chirping, the whistle from a distant train and the calls of Whippoorwills.
<span>Gail Abshire</span> Tue, 06/12/2018 - 16:22
C. J., I think you said it beautifully in the last line of your post. "There is no better way to end a day and ready for a good night's sleep, safe a soft rain on a tin roof, than the mixing sounds of an easy evening breeze softly moving the leaves of the trees, crickets chirping, the whistle from a distant train and the calls of the whippoorwills." The only thing I might add is the dancing of fireflies. I was raised in Northeast Texas where whippoorwills were always part of our evenings. When I was little, my grandad loved to ask me what whippoorwills eat, knowing I would say "corn bread." Where that came from, I have no idea! Anyway, I've lived in Southeast Texas for many years now, and we aren't blessed with whippoorwills in this area. But my cousin, who still lives in the northeast part of the state, will sometimes call at night in the summertime while he's sitting out on his front porch, and he holds the phone out so that I can hear the sounds of my childhood home again. It's really special. I'm thankful for this forum today. God's blessings on everyone.
<span>Nancy Still</span> Tue, 06/12/2018 - 11:56
I live in Northeast Texas. The whippoorwill call is my favorite. I sit on my back porch early every morning drinking my coffee and listening to them. Sometimes I sing along with them.
<span>Don</span> Tue, 06/12/2018 - 11:45
I live in central Illinois and have the pleasure of camping on my brother’s rather secluded timber & quarry. My experience is never complete without the whipperwill’s melodious song of the night. No siren’s call fills me with such supreme contentment and peace as I sleep deeply each time.
<span>Buck Rogers</span> Tue, 06/12/2018 - 10:38
I live in the country of south east Oklahoma during the spring time the whipper wills call around my house . I love their song . I'm 66 years old and have hunted fished and camped all my life. I have listened to them all my life and if I open my windows at night I can go to sleep by them along with the calls of coyotes owls and bull frogs .
<span>Gloria Jean Si…</span> Tue, 06/12/2018 - 11:29
You are one blessed person to be able to hear the whipperwill, coyotes, owls and bull frogs. God's creation all around you. Praise the Lord!!
<span>Sandy</span> Tue, 06/12/2018 - 10:26
We are in western Maine, and have had the whippoorwills singing for the last two spring seasons. This month we even saw the female with two chicks, right outside our back door. They land on the concrete apron of our garage. Both times we have seen and heard them, it's been the around the Full Moon. The males sing for a few nights before and after, but now they're silent again. I'm waiting to see if they'll sing again around the June Strawberry full moon. They are fascinating, but as someone said, pretty homely.