The Mysterious Folklore of the Whippoorwill
Does the whippoorwill drink goat鈥檚 milk? Does it foretell death, marriage, or woe? Can your aching back be cured by its call? Few birds have spun such a crazed web of mythology and myth-information. At the heart of this confusion and misdirection is a medium-size bird called the whippoorwill.
The Whippoorwill鈥檚 Woe
The merit or blame for this bird鈥檚 name belongs to Aristotle. The wise philosopher took a frivolous side trip into illogic to report a ridiculous story about the whippoorwill: 鈥淔lying to the udders of she-goats, it sucks them and so it gets its name,鈥 he reported.
It was probably the whippoorwills (or their crepuscular cousin, the nighthawks) that were snagging insects as the insects congregated around the thin-haired bellies of goats. But Aristotle鈥檚 authoritative nonsense stuck with the Caprimulgidae family (the Latin word comes from capri for 鈥済oat鈥 and mulgere 鈥渢o milk鈥), and one common name for the bird family is the inelegant 鈥済oatsucker.鈥
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About the Whippoorwill
In North America, whippoorwills range from eastern Texas to southern Canada and east to the Atlantic. The night is theirs, although in both daylight and dark the birds depend on their superb camouflage to see them through.
Whippoorwills do their courting after sunset. The male鈥檚 spring ritual is an elaborate one, involving strutting, throat-puffing, and a variety of noises designed to convince the silent female that he is the best mate among a forest swarming with calling males. It鈥檚 almost impossible for a spring woods traveler to escape the questionable music of one of the family to which the whippoorwill belongs. If you venture into a forest in the weeks ahead, keep an ear cocked for the whippoorwill鈥檚 call and be prepared to make a wish, do a somersault, or see the Moon in a frog pond.
鈻&苍产蝉辫;.
It could mean many things, according to the wealth of myth surrounding this night flyer.
The note of the whippoorwill borne over the fields is the voice with which the woods and moonlight woo me.
鈥揌enry David Thoreau (1817鈥62), American Writer
Whippoorwill Folklore
Old wives worked overtime to whipstitch the tattered fabric of whippoorwill folklore. Here are some examples鈥
- When a single woman heard her first whippoorwill in springtime, she must have felt her heart lurch in panic, for if the bird did not call again, she would remain single for a year. If the birdsong continued, she was fated to remain single unless she had been quick-thinking and made a wish upon hearing the first call. If she kept that wish secret, she ultimately would be married.
- Whippoorwills singing near a house were an omen of death, or at least of bad luck.
- A man could rid himself of an aching back if he turned somersaults in time to whippoorwill calls.
- If an Omaha tribe Native American heard a whippoorwill鈥檚 called invitation, he or she was advised to decline it. If the bird then stopped calling, a person who had answered would die. But if the calls continued, the person would have a long life.
- The Colorado Utes believed that the whippoorwill was one of the gods of the night and could transform a frog into the Moon.
- The Iroquois believed that moccasin flowers were the shoes of whippoorwills.
Have you ever heard the call of a whippoorwill? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Joel M. Vance
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I've heard whippoorwills many times over the years. But tonight has to be the most clear I've ever heard one sing. I could hear it from inside my house as I lay in bed attempting to fall asleep. I went outside to hear it more clearly. It has been singing for over an hour now. Maybe it has something to do with the moon being full (pink moon) and how perfect the weather has been over the past few days. My grandmother always said it was a bad omen and never attempt to sing the song back at one. I never have and don't think I would even if it wasn't an old wives tale.
I went outside to see the pink moon rising over the pine trees and heard a magical chorus of a trio of Whippoorwills echoing across the field to one another. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Thanks for sharing this. What a gorgeous image you paint — of the pink moon and the whippoorwills.
I sit on my porch in rural KY and listen to the Whippoorwills every evening and early morning....my most favorite bird to hear sing.
I moved to a secluded ranch deep in the forests of The Ozark Mountains in 2010 and was absolutely thrilled to have a resident whippoorwill! He returns every year mid-April and I always pause my evening chores to soak in his song. Thoreau penned it beautifully. I also have a screech owl whose call resembles a horse whinnying.
Chances are that if a man can turn somersaults his back isn't aching all that much. LOL!
Just came in from taking my doggy out, 11:45pm, and heard a whippoorwill. First one in a long time.
I have heard them many times in my life, always singing more than once in tandem. We recently moved to Florida where our house is next to an animal preserve. I think the one we hear sometimes is a young one; song is very clear, and just young sounding. Looking for a mate, I suppose.
I went out side this morning to take my dog out and I heard the whippoorwill I told Molly that was a whippoorwill. Love the sound
I've often heard the sounds of Whippoorwills in the distance. While driving, or lying in bed. I grew up in the country so it was a regular sound I heard,only I didn't know what kind of animal was making that sound, nor did I realize it was a bird. Lately I have been hearing the sound of a whipoorwill every morning. It seems as though it's very close by. I never knew it was a sign of death. I lost a son 2 years ago, and have since seen the Red Robin meant to be a good spiritual sign. I'm not sure if I believe in all that, but it's interesting to know the mystery and , myths of old wives tales. I've always enjoyed the sound of a whipoorwill in the early mornings of summer, before the dew has lifted.
