Bird
Common Poorwill
Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
Photo: Dominic Sherony, CC BY-SA 2.0
Common Names
Whippoorwill (Western)
Habitat
Cannonball River
Conservation
Apparently secure
First Observed
1804-10-17
Observed At
Great Plains, near the White River, South Dakota
Lewis described this new species as hibernating in cold weather, behavior not confirmed in literature for 145 years.
In the NPS atlas of species the expedition described
Nuttall's poorwill
Found on the Cannonball River. Lewis described this new species as hibernating in cold weather, behavior not confirmed in literature for 145 years.
Source: National Park Service, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Park Atlas.
Recent sightings
Where it’s being seen today
2 research-grade iNaturalist observations between 2024–2025. Most recent: 2025-08-14. Sourced from Terrain360 trail captures, cached locally.
Journal References
2 journal entries mention Common Poorwill
Jul
8
1804
Missouri River near St. Joseph area — John Ordway: July 8, 1804
...tter.
2 Floyd and Gass state that the encampment was at Whippoorwill Creek;
identified by Coues as modern Peters Creek, Doniphan County, Kans.
3 Unfortunately for the f...
Aug
4
1806
Lewis: August 4, 1806
...night for the first time this
season I heard the small whippoorwill or goatsucker of the Missouri cry.
Colter and Collins have not yet overtaken us. Ordway and Willar...
