Nature Lab

Where are the Whip-poor-wills?

Biologists look at the presence of whip-poor-wills across Missouri

Eastern whip-poor-wills are so highly camouflaged that most people never see them. Yet many know these birds from their whip-poor-WILL calls, which echo through forests on summer nights. Those calls, once common throughout our region, have been dwindling. MDC is now funding a four-year study to look at whip-poor-will populations statewide. 

“We’re focusing on priority geographies — areas that MDC has identified as important to improve habitat for all kinds of species, including birds, mammals, and plants,” explained State Ornithologist Kristen Heath-Acre. “Within and near these areas, a University of Missouri PhD student, Natalie Ramos, is sampling for whip-poor-wills across a gradient of management and habitat types to see if what we’re doing in some of these units is leading to more whip-poor-wills.”

To sample (or survey for) whip-poor-wills, one listens. For this study, automated recording units (ARUs) are used to detect whip-poor-will calls in the designated locations. ARUs make it possible to cover more areas with fewer staff. 

“Whip-poor-wills sing before sunrise and after sunset, but also throughout the night if there’s enough moonlight,” Heath-Acre said. “They need that moonlight for hunting prey on the wing because they hunt mostly by sight.” 

The ARUs are set to record when the moon is brightest — roughly the seven nights leading up to a full moon and the seven nights after — which is when whip-poor-wills call the most. About 200 ARUs are deployed at a time. During non-recording weeks, Ramos downloads the data and moves the ARUs to new locations so all areas can be sampled during breeding season. In fall, the species migrates to Mexico and Central America. 

Whip-poor-wills are acrobatic flyers, deftly maneuvering to catch insects in the air. Moths are their primary prey. More moths should mean more whip-poor-wills. So, the study, now in its third year, has another component — collection of moths and other night-flying insects — to see how different management types are affecting their availability. 

Ultimately, said Heath-Acre, the study aims “to tease apart why there are whip-poor-wills in some areas of Missouri and not in others, and what we might be able to do to increase whip-poor-will abundance across the state.”

At a Glance

MDC’s Whip-poor-will Occupancy Study seeks to:

• Look at which habitat and management types support the highest number of whip-poor-wills and their main prey (moths).
• Compare whip-poor-will and night-flying insect populations in different management units: even- and uneven-aged forest, closed canopy, and no management. 
• Offer management recommendations for increasing whip-poor-wills on public and private lands.
• Scientists detect whip-poor-wills with autonomous recording units (ARUs) that are set to record when the species is most vocal.

Partners: 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, University of Missouri, University of Illinois Natural History Survey

Learn more at short.mdc.mo.gov/ocN