Common Poorwill Captive Photograph and
Sound Recording
Photo by Greg Clark, November 11, 2002 at Arizona Go Wild
rehabilitation clinic
I came to be involved with the
Common Poorwill seen on the left when Wild At Heart notified me
of an injured "owl" in a parking lot in Phoenix. The
owl turned out to be a stunned Common Poorwill and Wild At Heart
suggested I take it to Arizona Go Wild for immediate care. I have
done Poorwill rescues before, but this time when I picked up the
bird it hissed at me. Apparently common knowledge to rehabbers,
I was unaware they made this type of sound. After I got to the
clinic they informed me they had another poorwill that hissed
even more. Later, when both birds were ready for release, I returned
to record the hiss I had heard. The bird I rescued was no longer
doing the hiss, instead it was doing a series of soft "clucks"
when I started to talk. But only when I started talking, not the
handler. So here is the poorwill cluck. The hissing poorwill is
on another page.
I came to be involved with the
Common Poorwill seen on the left when Wild At Heart notified me
of an injured "owl" in a parking lot in Phoenix. The
owl turned out to be a stunned Common Poorwill and Wild At Heart
suggested I take it to Arizona Go Wild for immediate care. I have
done Poorwill rescues before, but this time when I picked up the
bird it hissed at me. Apparently common knowledge to rehabbers,
I was unaware they made this type of sound. After I got to the
clinic they informed me they had another poorwill that hissed
even more. Later, when both birds were ready for release, I returned
to record the hiss I had heard. The bird I rescued was no longer
doing the hiss, instead it was doing a series of soft "clucks"
when I started to talk. But only when I started talking, not the
handler. So here is the poorwill cluck. The hissing poorwill is
on another page.