This section is from the book "The Bird Book", by Chester A. Reed. Also available from Amazon: The Bird Book.
Range. - North America east of the Plains; north to the southern parts of the British possessions; winters along the Gulf coast and southward.
This species is well known, by sound, in nearly all parts of its range, but comparatively few ever observed the bird, and probably the greater number mistake the Nighthawk for this species. The two species can readily be distinguished at a distance by the absence of any pronounced white marking in the wings, and by the white tips to the outer tail feathers in the present species, while the Night Hawk has a prominent white band across the tail, but the top is black, and the tail slightly forked. The Whip-poor-will, rarely leaves its place of concealment before dark, and is never seen flying about cities, as are the Night-hawks. In their pursuit of insects, they glide like a shadow over fields and woods, their soft plumage giving forth no sound as their wings cleave the air. Until late at night, their whistling cry "whip-poor-will," repeated at intervals, rings out in all wooded hilly districts. Their two eggs are deposited on the ground among dead leaves, generally in dense woods. They are grayish white or cream color marbled with pale brown and gray, with faint er markings of lilac. Size 1.50 x .85. 263
Whip-poor-will.
Creamy white.
Geo. S. Fiske NEST AND EGGS OF WHIP-POOR-WILL.
Range. - Arizona and New Mexico, south through the tableland of Mexico.
This sub-species is slightly larger and has longer mouth bristles than the eastern bird. Their nesting habits are the same and the eggs differ only in averaging lighter in color, with fainter markings, some specimens being almost immaculate.
 
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