Common Poorwills in Western Montana

Abstract

Long-term banding efforts with Common Poorwills (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) in western Montana reveal several aspects of their cryptic lives during the breeding season. We have banded more than 170 individuals within one landscape over 7 years of work. Our high recapture rate indicates breeding- and natal-site fidelity and also reveals multiple individuals living for 5 or 6 years. We have also recorded successful breeding attempts by second-year birds, looked at diet and comparisons to other nocturnal insectivores including Common Nighthawks, and studied home range size. Our latest efforts include using the Motus network to look at migration and overwintering destinations.