As the whip-poor-will's chant wanes, our cultural loss deepens
Development and a loss of young forest and shrubland contribute to less breeding habitat and insect prey for the eastern whip-poor-will, a furtive nocturnal bird whose well-known call has long been a part of the fabric of American life, marking annual spring rituals and even inspiring odes in popular music. What happens when we lose our connection to this facet of the natural world?