whippoorwill

[ hwip-er-wil, wip-; hwip-er-wil, wip- ]

/ ˈʰwɪp ərˌwɪl, ˈwɪp-; ˌʰwɪp ərˈwɪl, ˌwɪp- /

a nocturnal North American nightjar, Caprimulgus vociferus, having a variegated plumage of gray, black, white, and tawny.

Origin of whippoorwill

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10; imitative

He heard Quekolis, the whippoorwill, raising his doleful lament down near the river.

Running Fox |Elmer Russell Gregor
As he strode forward into the depthless sea of darkness a whippoorwill called.

The Maid-At-Arms |Robert W. Chambers
I remember when the whippoorwill could be heard in Sweet Auburn.

My Garden Acquaintance |James Russell Lowell
From the trees came the hoot of owls and the mournful notes of the whippoorwill.

The Motor Girls in the Mountains |Margaret Penrose

An owl hooted in a tree not far away and from a cleft in the mountains came the weird song of the whippoorwill.

The Motor Maids at Sunrise Camp |Katherine Stokes

whippoorwill

/ (ˈwɪpʊˌwɪl) /

a nightjar, Caprimulgus vociferus, of North and Central America, having a dark plumage with white patches on the tail

C18: imitative of its cry