<h2 id="c6">THE CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW. <br/><span class="small">(<i>Antrostomus carolinensis.</i>)</span></h2>
<p>In the wooded ravines and timbered
swamps of the southern states, the
Chuck-will’s-widow tells of its presence
by frequently calling its own
name. It, with the whip-poor-will
and the night hawk, belongs to the
family of goatsuckers and is closely
related to the swifts. The family
includes about eighty-five species of
these peculiar birds, nearly all being natives
of the tropics, though nearly every
part of the world has representatives.
The range of the Chuck-will’s-widow is
quite limited. It includes the states from
Virginia and southern Illinois southward
to the Gulf of Mexico, and through Mexico
into Central America. It is also
found in Cuba.</p>
<p>Chuck-will’s-widow is a bird of the
twilight and night hours. Silent during
the daylight hours, its penetrating voice,
which is remarkably strong, may be continuously
heard in the regions that it inhabits
during the evening hours and for
a time preceding the returning light of
day. It is said that on a still evening
its call may be heard for more than one
mile. In its large eyes and head, its
loose and somber colored plumage, its
quiet flight and nocturnal habits it resembles
the owls. Its short bill and the shape
of the wings, permitting rapid flight, give
it a close relationship to the swifts. Its
mouth is peculiarly fitted for the capture
of insects. The gape is enormous, and
when the mouth is fully open, will measure
nearly two inches from side to side.
It is also aided in ensnaring insects by
the long, bristle-like whiskers at the base
of the mouth. It will catch and swallow
the largest of the night-flying moths, and
though it seems almost incredible small
birds not infrequently form a part of its
diet. An observer found in the stomach
of one “among an indistinguishable mass
of brownish matter, a small bone, about
half an inch long.” In another stomach
he found the remains of a hummingbird
only partially digested and well enough
preserved for him to identify the species.
Dr. F. W. Langdon states that he examined
the stomach of a female Chuck-will’s-widow
that “contained the partially
digested body, entire, of a swamp
sparrow, intermingled with the feathers
of which were numerous remains of insects,
chiefly small beetles.”</p>
<p>While hunting for food the Chuck-will’s-widow
flies low, often but a few
feet above the surface of the ground. In
this habit it differs from the night-hawk,
which, like the swifts, seeks its food high
in the air. Now and then it rests, perching
on old logs or fences, from which it
will launch forth in pursuit of prey which
its keen eyes have sighted. During the
day it roosts in hollow trees or upon a
large limb in some densely shaded spot.</p>
<p>It does not attempt to build a nest.
The two dull white eggs are laid upon
the ground or upon leaves in some secluded
place in woods or thickets. It is
said that this bird, when disturbed at its
nest, will remove either its eggs or the
young, as the case may be, to a place of
safety by carrying them in its mouth.</p>
<p>Mr. Audubon relates the following incident
which came under his observation:
“When the Chuck-will’s-widow, either
male or female (for each sits alternately),
has discovered that the eggs have
been touched, it ruffles its feathers and
appears extremely dejected for a minute
or two, after which it emits a low, murmuring
cry, scarcely audible to me as I
lay concealed at a distance not more than
eighteen or twenty yards. At this time
I had seen the other parent reach the
spot, flying so low over the ground that
I thought its little feet must have touched
it as it skimmed along, and after a few
low notes and some gesticulations, all indicative
of great distress, take an egg in
its large mouth, the other bird doing the
same, when they would fly off together,
skimming closely over the ground, until
they disappeared among the branches and
trees.” Because of its night-flying habit,
its somber colors and its peculiar penetrating
notes the Chuck-will’s-widow, as
well as the whip-poor-will, was considered
by the Indians a bird of ill omen.</p>
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