The Eastern Whip-poor-will

I had heard of whip-poor-wills before, but I had no idea what they looked like or that they're native to the Hoosier State.  These little birds are often heard, but rarely seen because they're experts at camouflage. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (Indiana DNR) whip-poor-wills are also of "special concern," meaning they require special monitoring.

Indiana DNR defines special concern for a species as:

Any animal species requiring monitoring because of known/suspected limited abundance or distribution or because of a recent change in legal status or required habitat.

The Indiana Audubon Society says that the whip-poor-wills have declined by 60% in the past 45 years, and since they are nocturnal, coupled with the dwindling population, these birds are increasingly more difficult to study.

Whip-poor-wills Pretend to Be Injured to Protect Their Nests

Since I have never seen a whip-poor-will in person before, I had no idea that these little birds could be so dramatic (but only because they're good parents)!  When confronted with a predator, they will pretend to be injured to lure the threat away from their nest (which is kind of genius, and also adorably dramatic).

A Rare Glimpse of the Whip-poor-will Shared by Indiana DNR

A video shared by the Indiana DNR Division of Forestry recently shared a video to Facebook (that you can see here) taken by a forester in Jackson-Washington State Forest in Brownstown, Indiana.  The video shows a whip-poor-will, and it looks to have a broken wing, but no worries, this little bird is just trying to make sure the person recording stays away from their nest.

The video below is the sound of the whip-poor-will. I think you'll notice it sounds familiar as these little guys are often heard but not seen.

The Indiana DNR Division of Forestry explained that in the video, you see a (likely male) whip-poor-will pretending to have a broken wing to get the person videoing away from their nest.

 Male whip-poor-wills help defend their nest area from predators while their female partner stays on the ground with their eggs or chicks. Ground nesting may be great for camouflage, but it leaves eggs and chicks vulnerable to predation. Both whip-poor-will parents have to work together to protect their young!

This was an incredibly special moment, as whip-poor-wills' excellent camouflage and unfortunate population decline make encounters like these very rare. Learn more about how Indiana foresters and landowners are working with The Nature Conservancy to conserve whip-poor-will populations by managing forest land for whip-poor-will habitat at https://www.nature.org/.../storie.../forestry-for-the-birds/!

What I've learned is that whip-poor-wills are adorably dramatic, but only because they're really good parents! Check out the video here, it's absolutely fascinating! I'm just glad this little feathered friend was just being a good dad and not actually hurt!