Bird 98 – Common Poorwill

This week I thought we’d take a look at one of the real curios of the bird world.

Did you know, in medieval Europe there was an long debate about whether birds hibernated or migrated during the winter? There was even a theory that Swallows hibernated on the bottom of frozen lakes. The below image from Sweden in the 16th Century shows fishermen pulling up Swallows from the bottom of a frozen lake (so I guess they’d be Swallowmen?)

Of course, today we know that without exception there is no bird that hibernates. That is except for the one exception, and this week’s bird, the Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus muttallii)

These little guys belong to the order Caprimulgiformes, which is the same Order Tawny Frogmouths belong to (as a bird you may be familiar with). 

The Poorwill is native to North America, and during the winter months, when food gets scares and the temperature drops, rather than migrate like their fellow feathered friends, they bed down and go into an extended torpor, which can last for weeks to months. In this state their metabolism goes to about zero, their heart all but stop and they hardly breath.

You’ll notice their mottled feathers. Well, to keep safe while sleeping away the season, they just curl up in a pile of rocks on the ground and let their camouflage hide them.

Native Indians have a name for them, Holchko, which translates to ‘the sleeping one’.

Order Caprimulgiformes actually has a few fascinating birds. Subscribers who have been with me for a long time may recall the Oilbird (Bird of the Week 22), which are able to navigate through caves by using echolocation like bats. 

There are just so many marvels in the bird world.

13/10/2019