Östlicher Ziegenmelker

Bestimmung

This medium-sized nightjar measures .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}22–27 cm (8+1⁄2–10+1⁄2 in) in length, spans 45–50 cm (17+1⁄2–19+1⁄2 in) across the wings and weighs 42–69 g (1+1⁄2–2+7⁄16 oz). Further standard measurements are a wing chord of 14.7 to 16.9 cm (5+13⁄16 to 6+5⁄8 in), a tail of 10.5 to 12.8 cm (4+1⁄8 to 5+1⁄16 in), a bill of 1 to 1.4 cm (3⁄8 to 9⁄16 in) and a tarsus of 1.5 to 1.8 cm (9⁄16 to 11⁄16 in). Adults have mottled plumage: the upperparts are grey, black and brown; the lower parts are grey and black. They have a very short bill and a black throat. Males have a white patch below the throat and white tips on the outer tail feathers; in the female, these parts are light brown.<p>This bird is sometimes confused with the related chuck-will's-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis) which has a similar but lower-pitched and slower call.

Taxonomie

Wissenschaftlicher Name

Antrostomus vociferus

Autorität

(Wilson, A, 1812)

Ordnung

Caprimulgiformes

Familie

Nachtschwalben (Caprimulgidae)

Gattung

Antrostomus

Verbreitung und Lebensraum

Brutgebiet

NA : sc, se Canada and ec, e USA

Überwinterungsgebiet

se USA and MA

Zugverhalten

Complete migrants

Verhalten

Eastern whip-poor-wills breed in deciduous or mixed woods across central and southeastern Canada and the eastern United States, and migrate to the southeastern United States and to eastern Mexico and Central America for the winter. These birds forage at night, catching insects in flight, and normally sleep during the day. Eastern whip-poor-wills nest on the ground, in shaded locations among dead leaves, and usually lay two eggs at a time. The bird will commonly remain on the nest unless almost stepped upon.[citation needed]<p>The whip-poor-will has been split into two species. Eastern populations are now referred to as the eastern whip-poor-will. The disjunct population in southwestern United States and Mexico is now referred to as the Mexican whip-poor-will, Antrostomus arizonae. The two populations were split based on range, different vocalizations, different egg coloration, and DNA sequencing showing differentiation.

Schutzstatus

The eastern whip-poor-will is currently in decline, though they remain fairly common. In 2017, the eastern whip-poor-will was uplisted from least concern to near threatened on the IUCN Red List on the basis of citizen science observations demonstrating a decline in populations of the eastern whip-poor-will by over 60% between 1970 and 2014. Several reasons for the decline are proposed, such as loss of early successional forest habitat related to fire suppression and habitat destruction, predation by feral cats and dogs, and poisoning by insecticides, but the actual causes remain elusive. Pesticides and intensified agriculture have led to declines in the flying insect populations that the eastern whip-poor-will depends on. BirdLife International has stated that initiatives like the Conservation Reserve Program will be crucial in conserving the species and reversing its decline.

Bestandstrend

stable