CreatureData

Common poorwill

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii (Audubon, 1844)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) is a species in the family Caprimulgidae, order Caprimulgiformes. Recorded adults weigh 47.2 g to 49.5 g and live up to 3 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii)
Photo: Louis Agassiz Fuertes (artist, 1874-1927) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the common poorwill

Weight
47.2 g – 49.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
3 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
20 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
2src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the common poorwill live?

Not recorded

What is the common poorwill?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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). 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.

From the Wikipedia article “Common poorwill” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_poorwill&oldid=1380659693), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the common poorwill sound like?

National Park Service · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Is the common poorwill endangered?

The common poorwill is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the common poorwill classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCaprimulgiformes
  5. familyCaprimulgidae
  6. genusPhalaenoptilus
  7. SpeciesPhalaenoptilus nuttallii (Audubon, 1844)

Synonyms Caprimulgus nuttallii, Phalaenoptilus nuttalli

Other names and names in other languages (35)
  • Northern poorwillEnglish
  • enganyapastors de NutallCatalan
  • lelek americkýCzech
  • whiparwhîl bachWelsh
  • Amerikansk PoorwillDanish
  • WinternachtschwalbeGerman
  • nutala kaprimulgoEsperanto
  • Tapacamino tevíiSpanish
  • Chotacabras pachacuaSpanish
  • Tapacaminos PandeaguaSpanish
  • uni-öösorrEstonian
  • horroskehrääjäFinnish
  • Engoulevent de NuttallFrench
  • Hölchokohop
  • crnolici leganjCroatian
  • téli estifecskeHungarian
  • Succiacapre di NuttallItalian
  • プアーウィルヨタカJapanese
  • baltagurklis lėlysLithuanian
  • Amerikas lēlītisLatvian
  • PoorwillDutch
  • Nuttalls NachtzwaluwDutch
  • dvalenattravnNorwegian
  • lelkowiec zimowyPolish
  • Noitibó-de-NutallPortuguese
  • noitibó-de-garganta-brancaPortuguese
  • noitibó-de-nuttallPortuguese
  • Спящий козодойRussian
  • Американский белогорлый козодойRussian
  • lelek spáčSlovak
  • dvalnattskärraSwedish
  • PurvilTurkish
  • пораке чорнощокийUkrainian
  • 弱夜鷹Chinese
  • 北美小夜鹰Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the common poorwill

Other species in the same family Caprimulgidae.

CompareCommon poorwill vs European nightjarCommon poorwill vs Red-necked nightjarCommon poorwill vs Egyptian nightjarCommon poorwill vs Great eared nightjar

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the common poorwill?

An adult common poorwill weighs 47.2 g – 49.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the common poorwill endangered?

The common poorwill is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the common poorwill live?

The common poorwill has a recorded lifespan of 3 years.

What kind of animal is the common poorwill?

The common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) belongs to the family Caprimulgidae in the order Caprimulgiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-poorwill

MLA

“Common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-poorwill.

BibTeX
@misc{common_poorwill_2026,
  title = {Common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-poorwill},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}