Word of the Day:

: a nightjar (Caprimulgus carolinensis) of the southeastern United States

It was a cool, still night, and we could hear a chuck-will's-widow calling from over the hill.

The chuck-will's-widow is a nocturnal bird that can be found in the swamps, rocky uplands, and pine forests of southeastern United States and is often confused with its close relative, the whippoorwill. Like many of our other feathered friends, the chuck-will's-widow got its name through onomatopoeia: "chuck-will's-widow" imitates the sounds of the bird's call. Given that the bird will sometimes repeat its call up to 800 times without stopping, the imitative origin of its name is hardly surprising.