The Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) is a unique, cryptic species known for its persistent, echoing nocturnal call across eastern North America. Unlike common backyard birds that readily visit feeders, attracting this species requires a fundamentally different approach focused on landscape ecology and habitat structure. As a nocturnal aerial insectivore, the Whip-poor-will’s presence depends entirely on creating an environment that supports its specific needs for nesting, roosting, and foraging. This involves careful modification of the physical environment, fostering a robust insect prey base, and eliminating disruptive elements from the night landscape. The successful attraction of this bird is a measure of a property’s ecological health rather than the placement of a feeding station.
Creating a Suitable Landscape
Attracting the Eastern Whip-poor-will is primarily about establishing the precise structural elements of its preferred habitat, which is often a mosaic of dense cover and open areas. These birds favor ecotones, or transitional zones, such as the edges of large, continuous forest tracts adjacent to clearings or lightly treed spaces. The ideal structure involves a dry, deciduous or mixed forest, frequently featuring oak and pine species, with a canopy that is open enough to allow moonlight to filter through. This combination provides both the necessary daytime cover and accessible foraging lanes for nighttime hunting.
The birds are ground-nesters and do not construct a traditional nest, instead laying their two eggs directly on the forest floor. They require a specific type of ground cover, typically a deep layer of leaf litter, pine needles, or areas of bare ground for camouflage. Nests are often situated near a small shrub, log, or clump of vegetation that offers minimal shade and protection without creating a dense understory. Whip-poor-wills avoid forests with heavy, uninterrupted canopies or thick, dense undergrowth that prevents easy access to the ground.
Property management should focus on maintaining or creating these structural elements, which may involve selective thinning or forest management practices. Managing the landscape to create areas of young forest with canopy gaps and sparse understory is beneficial. While a large, quiet territory is preferred, even smaller properties can be attractive if they border suitable extensive woodland. The quality of the physical structure of the land must meet the bird’s ecological requirements before any other factor will draw them in.
Encouraging Natural Prey Sources
The Eastern Whip-poor-will is an obligate aerial insectivore, meaning its diet consists almost entirely of insects captured in flight, particularly at dawn and dusk. The bulk of their prey includes large, night-flying species such as various moths, scarab beetles, and click beetles. Fostering a healthy population of these insects is essential, as the decline of many aerial insectivore populations is linked to the widespread reduction in insect abundance.
One of the most effective actions is the complete cessation of broad-spectrum insecticide and pesticide use on the property. These chemicals indiscriminately remove the birds’ primary food source, making the habitat unsustainable. Instead, focus on creating a “moth garden” by planting native species, especially those that serve as host plants for moth and butterfly caterpillars. Native oak species, for instance, support hundreds of different caterpillar species, which mature into the moths that form the core of the Whip-poor-will’s diet.
Allowing natural debris to remain, such as brush piles, dead wood, and leaf litter, supports the insect community. These materials provide shelter and food for the larval stages of beetles and moths. By managing vegetation to support the base of the food web, the property ensures a consistent supply of night-flying prey for the foraging adults.
Minimizing Nocturnal Disturbances
Since the Eastern Whip-poor-will is a nocturnal species, its presence is dependent on a dark and quiet environment during its active hours. Light pollution is a major deterrent because the birds often synchronize their most intense foraging activity with periods of bright moonlight. Excessive artificial lighting, such as floodlights or unshielded outdoor fixtures, disrupts their ability to hunt and navigate. Switching to motion-sensor, low-intensity red lighting for necessity is a practical step to maintain a dark habitat.
Managing domestic animals is also paramount, as the Whip-poor-will nests directly on the ground, leaving eggs and young extremely vulnerable. Free-roaming cats and dogs are major predators of ground-nesting birds, especially during the nesting season between late spring and mid-summer. Keeping pets indoors or securely contained from dusk until dawn eliminates this significant source of nest predation.
Minimizing excessive noise and human activity after dark helps maintain the tranquility required by this shy species. While male Whip-poor-wills are loud callers, they require a quiet environment to feel secure in their territory. Reducing vehicular traffic and loud recreational activities in the vicinity of their potential habitat helps ensure they can forage and nest without frequent disturbance.