General Description: Common Poorwills (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) are little gray-brown birds of the night. The wings are short and rounded. There is white on the tail corners and the throat, but not in the wings (compare with nighthawks). Poorwills sleep on the ground during the day.

Favored Habitat: Open deserts.

Where to Find: Drive dirt roads at night and watch them fly up in front of your headlights.

Comments: Poorwills call out their name over and over on summer nights: poor-will, poor-will, poor-will, poor-will ...