| Common poorwill | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family: | Caprimulgidae |
| Genus: | Phalaenoptilus Ridgway, 1880 |
| Species: | P. nuttallii
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| Binomial name | |
| Phalaenoptilus nuttallii (Audubon, 1844)
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| Synonyms | |
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Caprimulgus nuttallii (protonym) | |
The common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) is a nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, the nightjars. It is found from British Columbia and southeastern Alberta, through the western United States to northern Mexico. The bird's habitat is dry, open areas with grasses or shrubs, and even stony desert slopes with very little vegetation.
Many northern birds migrate to winter within the breeding range in central and western Mexico, though some remain further north. The common poorwill is the only bird known to go into torpor for extended periods (weeks to months).[2] This happens on the southern edge of its range in the United States, where it spends much of the winter inactive, concealed in piles of rocks. Such an extended period of torpor is close to a state of hibernation and is not known among other birds.
- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Phalaenoptilus nuttallii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22689735A93245859. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22689735A93245859.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ McKechnie, Andrew W.; Ashdown, Robert A. M.; Christian, Murray B.; Brigham, R. Mark (2007). "Torpor in an African caprimulgid, the freckled nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma" (PDF). Journal of Avian Biology. 38 (3): 261–266. doi:10.1111/j.2007.0908-8857.04116.x. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2008-07-08.