Chuck-will's-widow

Chuck-will's-widow

Antrostomus carolinensis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Everglades National Park
501 Verified sightings at Everglades National Park From 2019 to 2026
823 Verified sightings across all 23 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted Active throughout day and night

About the Chuck-will's-widow

The chuck-will's-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis) is a nocturnal bird of the nightjar family Caprimulgidae. It is mostly found in the southeastern United States (with disjunct populations in Long Island, New York; Ontario, Canada; and Cape Cod, Massachusetts) near swamps, rocky uplands, and pine woods. It migrates to the West Indies, Central America, and northwestern South America.

The chuck-will's-widow was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other nightjars in the genus Caprimulgus and coined the binomial name Caprimulgus carolinensis. Gmelin based his description on those of earlier authors including the "Goat-sucker of Carolina" that had been described and illustrated by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands that was published between 1729 and 1732. Chuck-will's-widow is now placed with 11 other species in the genus Antrostomus that was erected by the French naturalist Charles Bonaparte in 1838. The generic name combines the Ancient Greek antron meaning "cavern... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Everglades National Park

Eastern Whip-poor-will
NT

Eastern Whip-poor-will

🌙 Nocturnal Bird

Antrostomus vociferus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Common Nighthawk
LC

Common Nighthawk

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Chordeiles minor

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Lesser Nighthawk
LC

Lesser Nighthawk

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Chordeiles acutipennis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Antillean Nighthawk
LC

Antillean Nighthawk

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Chordeiles gundlachii

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
7 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
8 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
9 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
10 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
11 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
12 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
13 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
14 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
15 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
Insufficient data
16 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
17 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
18 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
19 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
Insufficient data
20 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
21 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
22 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
23 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Chuck-will's-widow in Everglades National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chuck-will's-widow sighting in Everglades National Park, based on 501 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Chuck-will's-widow in Everglades National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Chuck-will's-widow in Everglades National Park in our monthly data.

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