Chuck-will's-widow Does Dallas
No one would ever accuse Dallas, Texas of being an oasis of nature. In fact, it's pretty concrete-y. There is one man-made lake, a dirty river, and couple of nature preserves, but by and large it is highways and byways and strip malls and parking lots.
My little neighborhood sits in the heart of Dallas, on the heart's east side. Running about it are plenty of squirrels, lots of bunny rabbits, some coyotes on occasion. As far as birds, we see blue jays and mourning doves, and a shit ton of grackles. Which is why when I stepped out my back door last night, just after the sun went down, to hear the loud song of a bird I'd never heard before, I stood in shock. What was that??
I whipped out my phone and started recording. Here's the video.
It was quite loud compared to other bird calls I've heard. And so different. I had to figure out what it was. So, I did some digging online, first asking what bird I might hear at night in Dallas. I knew it wasn't an owl. Once I saw a chuck-will's-widow as an option I googled it's song and knew that's what we were dealing with.
Then I went to look at photos and was shocked to learn that it is big! It is the largest member of the nightjar family in North America.
And its mouth is crazy-looking!
They are nocturnal birds who don't make nests, but instead lay their eggs on the ground. They come out at night to hunt and their large mouths act as a vacuum to suck up small birds and even bats.
Last thing: They are called chuck-will's-widows because that is the sound they make. It's onomatopoeia.
Anyway, anytime I come close to something this unique in nature in Dallas, I get excited. And I just had to share.