common poorwill
phalaenoptilus nuttallii latin

One species, the Common Poorwill, even enters a state of hibernation.

The Common Poorwill frequently takes prey off of the ground or by leaping into the air from the ground.

Remarkably, the Common Poorwill is the only bird known to go into torpor for extended periods (weeks to months).

Although hibernation is almost exclusively seen in mammals, some birds, such as the Common Poorwill, may hibernate.

The Common Poorwill, on the other hand, flies low and perches low to the ground and will sally up into the air after insects.

This was at least in part because the Common Poorwill was not then recognized as a species distinct from the Whip-poor-will of eastern North America.

Some nightjars also have bristles around the bill (the Common Poorwill does, the Common Nighthawk does not).

He was the first to document, in The Condor, a state of extended torpor, approaching hibernation, in a bird, the Common Poorwill.

It was in the Chuckwalla Mountains that naturalist Edmund C. Jaeger discovered the hibernating Common Poorwill.

The Common Poorwill is told from similar nightjars by its small size, short bill, rounded wings with tips that reach the end of the short tail at rest, and pale gray coloration.

The nest of the Common Poorwill is a shallow scrape on the ground, often at the base of a hill and frequently shaded partly by a bush or clump of grass.

The eerie and enchanting call of the Common Poorwill can often be heard after dark while quick eyes might observe the silent flight of Great Horned Owls and phantom-like Barn Owls.

The Common Poorwill, Phalaenoptilus nuttallii is unique as a bird that undergoes a form of hibernation, becoming torpid and with a much reduced body temperature for weeks or months, although other nightjars can enter a state of torpor for shorter periods.

The Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Common Nighthawk, Common Poorwill, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Red-shafted Flicker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, and Western Kingbird are also found.