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Common Poorwills breed primarily in the western half of the United States south into central Mexico, and winter in the southern portion of the breeding range, from the southwestern United States into central Mexico.
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The Common Poorwill is the smallest of the " nightjars" in North America, and is considered the western counterpart of the eastern Whip-poor-will.
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The Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) is a small nightjar which breeds across much of the western United States and a few locations in western Canada.
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Common Poorwill, adult; s. Arizona; May
Fig. 1. Range of the Common Poorwill in North America.
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The Common Poorwill, Phalaenoptilus nuttallii is unique as a bird that undergoes a form of hibernation, becoming torpid and with a much reduced body temperature for weeks or months. Nightjars lay one or two patterned eggs directly onto bare ground.
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The nightjar family includes the whip-poor-will and the common poorwill. The common nighthawk is a jay-sized bird about 10 inches in length. It has mottled grayish-brown feathers, a long forked tail and long pointed wings with a broad white wing bar.
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John James Audubon was a colleague of Nuttall, and named 2 new species in his friend's honor. The Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) was initially known as Nuttall's Whip-poor-will.
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Common Poorwill, Phalaenoptilus nuttallii Chuck-will's- widow, Caprimulgus carolinensis Buff-collared Nightjar, Caprimulgus ridgwayi Whip-poor-will, Caprimulgus vociferus Gray Nightjar, Caprimulgus indicus (A) ...
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Another example is the common poorwill, the only deep-hibernating bird.
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 See also: Poorwill, Nightjar, Nighthawk, Common Nighthawk, Double-crested Cormorant
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