New York is home to three species of nightjars–the Common Nighthawk, Eastern Whip-poor-will, and Chuck-will’s-widow–and all of them are experiencing steep population declines. In order to better conserve these species, we are seeking information on remaining populations.
We’ve simplified the survey instructions for 2024!
We no longer have routes. We ask that you visit points where you think nightjars might be breeding, listen for five minutes, and report your results to the Atlas.
You may be surprised how many birds (and other animals) vocalize at night!
Quick links
Details on how to participate
1. Select locations to survey
Select any number of locations to survey where you think a nightjar species is likely breeding. They do not need to be spaced apart along a route as in past years; they can be disjunct. Our aim this year is to identify as many possible breeding locations as possible.
- Select your own points. Use the Google map embedded below or search eBird for your species of interest to help you find locations near you that may support one of the three nightjar species. Target areas with forests next to open fields, gravel pits, pine barrens, and other areas with sandy soils. See more info about the target species below in the Species Profiles.
- (Optional) Follow an established route. The established survey route locations are available for download as a kmz file. Download and import the points to your GPS or preferred GIS application on your phone (Google Earth, Gaia, and Avenza are good options). It also helps to print out a map and scout the sites in the daytime.
This Google map shows the location of established survey routes in purple. Observations of Common Nighthawks from the past 5 years are shown in orange, Eastern Whip-poor-will’s in blue, and Chuck-will’s-widows in yellow. Alternatively, you can download the kmz file.
2. Conduct the survey under good conditions
- Survey windows. Conduct the survey during one of the following windows:
- Window 1: May 15-30
- Window 2: June 13-28
- Timing. Visit the locations you selected at the appropriate time of night:
- Sunset to target Common Nighthawks (start ~45 min before sunset)
- Moonrise for Eastern Whip-poor-will and Chuck-will’s-widows (start at least 15 min after sunset and when moon is above the horizon)
- TIP: Try to time your survey on a night leading up to the full moon when moonrise is earlier in the evening. See timeanddate.com.
- Weather. Avoid nights with dense cloud cover; clouds obscure the moon and nightjars are less vocal. Do not survey during precipitation or high winds.
- Listen. Listen for 5 minutes at each point. Start an Atlas checklist on your smartphone and listen for 5 minutes. Record all species you can identify. Enter a comment in the checklist comments field if no birds were detected.
3. Submit your data
It’s important to record your data in eBird using the NY Breeding Bird Atlas portal. Because you will be recording at points, you don’t need to worry about block boundaries.
- Atlas eBird portal. Record your observations in the Atlas eBird portal. Start a new stationary checklist at each location. Record anything else you hear, too. Wilson’s Snipe, Ovenbirds, Henslow’s Sparrows, and a suite of other birds call at night. Submit a checklist even if you don’t hear any birds; it still counts as nocturnal atlasing effort.
Safety considerations
- Your safety comes above all else. If you are not comfortable doing this type of survey or if there are local restrictions in place, do not conduct the survey. Some tips:
- Park completely off the side of the road.
- Wear a reflective vest.
- Keep your four-way flashers on.
- Have a headlamp/flashlight.
- Don’t park in front of someone’s house.
Questions
- Contact Julie Hart (julie.hart@dec.ny.gov) or Matt Palumbo (matthew.palumbo@dec.ny.gov) if you have any questions.
Species Profiles
Common Nighthawk
- Map of atlas records
- Habitat
- Sandy soils, especially barrens habitats. They can nest in cities on flat-topped gravel roofs, though no urban nest sites were found in the second atlas. Small numbers also breed in large grasslands or other open areas with rock outcrops or other exposed ground for nesting. They are associated with a range of habitats including sand dunes, logged forests, grasslands, and even urban areas.
- Time of night
- Dawn and dusk
- Time of year
- This species arrives in late spring (late May-early June) and leaves early in the fall (beginning mid-August).
- Key tips, sounds, and behaviors
- Nighthawks give a peent sound (code as S) very similar to that of an American Woodcock, different in that it’s raspier, descending at the end, and comes from the air rather than the ground. Courtship display of rapid dives creates a booming sound as air passes over wings (code as C).There are several relatively easy ways to get this species to probable, including “M”, “S7” and “C”. Their courtship display is easy to hear and identify on breeding territories, see the “booming” recording below. When the eggs or young are threatened, females will feign injury to draw potential predators away. Males sometimes defend the nest site with hissing and wing beating. Breeding males perform an aerial display which produces a non-vocal sound referred to as a “boom” as part of courtship and territory establishment. These birds can be easily identified by their white wing patches as they pursue insects on the wing, often giving a “peent” call throughout.
- See Photos, Hear Songs, and Learn More About Common Nighthawk
Chuck-will’s-widow
- Map of atlas records
- Habitat
- Pine barrens, edges of swamps, barrier beaches. Generally more open than that used by Eastern Whip-poor-will. They are more tolerant of development and are associated with agricultural and even suburban areas so long as subtle roosting and nesting habitat (oak, pine, and mixed forest) is sufficient.
- Time of night
- Dawn and dusk and on moonlit nights
- Time of year
- May-July, leave in August and September
- Key tips, sounds, and behaviors
- Habits of this bird are similar to Eastern Whip-poor-will. Listen for “chuck-will’s-widow” song. Males sing with greatest intensity in April-May, quiet down in June, and sing more again later in July and August. On days of full or near-full moon, singing may continue all night. If it’s warmer, they sing more. Code this song as S.Chuck-will’s-widows are aggressive during the nesting phase and will pursue nest site predators or gape its large mouth while hissing.
- See Photos, Hear Songs, and Learn More About Chuck-will’s-widow
Eastern Whip-poor-will
- Map of atlas records
- Habitat
- Pine barrens, also forest openings such as fields, quarries, and power-line cuts. Foraging habitat consists of low-elevation open areas (forest openings, agricultural areas, blueberry barrens, dirt roads, etc.) on the margins of dry and open forests, particularly those in riparian areas with sandy soils. Pine-oak forest, pine barrens, pine-hemlock-hardwood forest all serve as suitable nesting and roosting habitat for this species.
- Time of night
- Dawn and dusk and on moonlit nights (ideally when at least half a moon is visible)
- Time of year
- They return to the state in late April and are locally common until they become quiet in late summer.
- Key tips, sounds, and behaviors
- The namesake “whip-poor-will” song is the best way to detect this species. Code their song as S or S7. Watch the roads while driving because their eyeshine is obvious and gravel or sand roads can be a favorite singing location. Occasionally a pair will sit on the road together, warranting a P code. Adult males will employ a hovering, tail-flashing display when another male enters his territory (T) or when an intruder (A) approaches the nest site. Both males and females will perform wing-dragging distraction displays (DD) to lead off predators.
- See Photos, Hear Songs, and Learn More About the Eastern Whip-poor-will
Learn more
- Test yourself! Take the quiz developed for the Maine Nightjar Survey
- Guide to sandstone pavement barrens
- Common Nighthawk migratory connectivity: tracking Nighthawks in South America [Ecography article]
- A short history of nightjar folklore
- Multi-season site occupancy of Eastern Whip-poor-wills (Antrostomus vociferous) in NY [Wilson Journal of Ornithology]