The whip-poor-will is a unique bird known for its distinctive vocalizations that sound like they are saying “whip-poor-will.” This nocturnal bird’s calls can often be heard in the night air during spring and summer across much of the eastern and central United States and Canada. While the whip-poor-will has a truly one-of-a-kind call, there are a few other bird species that have songs and calls that bear some resemblance to the whip-poor-will.
Birds With Whistling or Whip-Like Calls
Some of the birds that share vocalizations similar to the whip-poor-will include:
Chuck-will’s-widow
Closely related to the whip-poor-will, the chuck-will’s-widow gets its name from its distinctive call that sounds like it is saying “chuck-will’s-widow” or “chuck-wills-widow.” The two species are in the same genus (Antrostomus) and their calls are often confused with one another. The chuck-will’s-widow occupies a more southerly range than the whip-poor-will, being found across the southeastern United States and into parts of Central and South America.
Eastern Nighthawk
The eastern nighthawk is another nightjar like the whip-poor-will and chuck-will’s-widow. Its call is a loud, nasal peent or beernt. While not exactly like the whip-poor-will, the eastern nighthawk’s vocalizations have a similar whistling quality.
Eastern Screech-Owl
The eastern screech-owl is capable of producing a startling whip-like sound during its whinny call. It is a trilling sound that cascades down the scale rapidly. This call is meant to startle predators. While not a perfect match, the screech-owl’s whinny call shares the whip-poor-will’s rhythmic quality.
Common Nighthawk
Another nightjar like the whip-poor-will, the common nighthawk makes a buzzy peent sound sometimes described as sounding like a whip cracking. The common nighthawk inhabits much of North America.
Northern Bobwhite
The northern bobwhite is a quail species known for producing a whistled call often translated as “bob-WHITE” or “poor-bob-WHITE.” The whistle call resembles the whip-poor-will’s in rhythm and overall quality.
Birds With Rolling, Trilling, or Repeating Calls
Some other birds share the whip-poor-will’s characteristic of repeating notes in a rolling or trilling song pattern:
Wood Thrush
The wood thrush produces a beautiful, flute-like song made up of repeating phrases. Often written as “ee-oh-lay,” the wood thrush’s song has a similar rolling/trilling pattern to the whip-poor-will.
Veery
Similar to the wood thrush, the veery sings a downward spiraling song that repeats in an “ee-oh-lay” pattern reminiscent of the whip-poor-will.
Willow Flycatcher
The willow flycatcher delivers a sneezy “fitz-bew” song that has an almost whip-poor-will-like cadence of repeating notes.
Gray Catbird
The gray catbird is an apt mimic, and one of the sounds it copies is a call similar to the whip-poor-will’s. This copycat vocalization features the repeating pattern heard in the whip-poor-will.
Brown Thrasher
Another mimic bird like the gray catbird, the brown thrasher can reproduce a convincing whip-poor-will song when one occurs in its range. The repeating phrases are unmistakable.
Birds With Nocturnal Vocalizations
Since the whip-poor-will is a nocturnal species, other nocturnally vocalizing birds also share some similarities:
Northern Mockingbird
Northern mockingbirds will sing at night during the full moons of spring and summer. Their varied nocturnal songs include phrases that have a repeating whip-poor-will-esque pattern and quality.
Western Nighthawk
In the western parts of North America, the western nighthawk fills the niche occupied by the whip-poor-will in the east. Its call is a nasal peent/beernt very reminiscent of the eastern nighthawk.
Birds With Distinctive Nocturnal Calls
Some additional birds share the distinction of having unique nocturnal vocalizations like the whip-poor-will:
Common Loon
The common loon’s eerie nighttime wails, tremolos, and yodels are legendary. These vocalizations are meant to communicate over longer distances at night.
Barred Owl
The barred owl produces a distinct hooting call: “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” Its nighttime calls are notable like the whip-poor-will.
Killdeer
Killdeer are shorebirds that will call and vocalize at night during the breeding season. Their “kill-deer” sounds share the carrying quality of the whip-poor-will.
Comparison of Call Qualities
When comparing the vocalizations of the whip-poor-will and birds with similar calls, some key shared qualities emerge:
- Repetitive, rolling, or trilling patterns
- Rhythmic or whip-like sounds
- Nocturnal vocalizations
- Distinct, carrying calls
Here is a table summarizing some of the key birds with whip-poor-will-esque vocalizations:
Bird | Call Quality | Call Description |
---|---|---|
Chuck-will’s-widow | Rhythmic | “chuck-will’s-widow” or “chuck-wills-widow” |
Eastern Nighthawk | Whistling | Nasal “peent” or “beernt” |
Eastern Screech-Owl | Whip-like | Whinny call |
Common Nighthawk | Whip-cracking | Buzzy “peent” |
Northern Bobwhite | Whistling | “bob-WHITE” or “poor-bob-WHITE” |
Wood Thrush | Rolling/trilling | “ee-oh-lay” song |
Conclusion
The whip-poor-will has a unique and identifiable vocalization unlike any other North American bird. However, there are a number of species that share some similar call qualities and can be mistaken for the whip-poor-will in the right circumstances. Birds like the chuck-will’s-widow, eastern nighthawk, eastern screech-owl, common nighthawk, and northern bobwhite have whistling calls with a rhythmic, repeating pattern reminiscent of the whip-poor-will. Other birds like the wood thrush share the trilling and rolling song pattern. Overall, the whip-poor-will remains in a vocal class of its own, but these other birds come close to matching certain elements of its iconic call.