Laura Erickson's For the Birds

This nightjar calls persistently throughout the night. Like nighthawks, it feeds entirely on the wing, capturing mostly insects in its capacious mouth, but it’s large enough to swallow some small birds and bats as well. Chuck-will’s-widows can be found year-round in south Florida, breed in the southeastern states, and winter in eastern Mexico through Central and northeastern South America as well as the Caribbean.

I’ve photographed a Chuck-will’s-widow only once in my life—at night in the Everglades in 2023—but I’ve fallen asleep to its thrilling music on many occasions.