Chuck-will's-widow
Chuck-will's-widow has fallen sharply: down 58% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Chuck-will's-widow
The Chuck-will's-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis) is a North American member of the Nightjars & Nighthawks (Caprimulgidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the aerial insectivores.
- Size
- 7.5–12 in long (19–30 cm) — a cryptic, big-mouthed bird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open airspace over fields, water and towns; nests in cavities, earthen banks or on structures.
- Diet
- Flying insects caught on the wing.
- Range
- Recorded on 904 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 23 states, most concentrated in the Southeastern Coastal Plain.
- Family
- Caprimulgidae · Aerial insectivores
Notable Chuck-will's-widow Trends
Chuck-will's-widow has fallen sharply in surveyed states: down 58% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Chuck-will's-widow Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Chuck-will's-widow is projected to fall about 27% by 2029 — from 0.22 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.16 (95% range 0.10–0.22). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±23.1%, with 60% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.19 | 0.13 | 0.25 |
| 2026 | 0.18 | 0.12 | 0.24 |
| 2027 | 0.17 | 0.11 | 0.23 |
| 2028 | 0.17 | 0.11 | 0.23 |
| 2029 | 0.16 | 0.10 | 0.22 |
Where the Chuck-will's-widow Is Detected
BBS routes recording Chuck-will's-widow, sized by most recent count.
Chuck-will's-widow Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -67% | 1968 | 96 |
| Arkansas | -62% | 1969 | 47 |
| Delaware | +42% | 1968 | 7 |
| Florida | +2% | 1968 | 114 |
| Georgia | -64% | 1968 | 92 |
| Illinois | -77% | 1971 | 4 |
| Indiana | -85% | 1968 | 5 |
| Kansas | -78% | 1976 | 18 |
| Kentucky | -74% | 1969 | 29 |
| Louisiana | -34% | 1969 | 37 |
| Maryland | -2% | 1968 | 23 |
| Mississippi | -82% | 1968 | 43 |
| Missouri | -46% | 1969 | 51 |
| Nebraska | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Jersey | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| North Carolina | +7% | 1968 | 69 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Oklahoma | -14% | 1969 | 57 |
| South Carolina | -28% | 1968 | 49 |
| Tennessee | -35% | 1968 | 41 |
| Texas | -33% | 1969 | 86 |
| Virginia | -67% | 1968 | 29 |
| West Virginia | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
Chuck-will's-widow Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +95% | 1970 | 29 |
| Edwards Plateau | -42% | 1970 | 16 |
| Oaks and Prairies | -23% | 1969 | 55 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -88% | 1969 | 33 |
| Central Hardwoods | -48% | 1968 | 101 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | -47% | 1969 | 90 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | -93% | 1969 | 20 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -45% | 1968 | 296 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -81% | 1968 | 57 |
| Piedmont | -35% | 1968 | 90 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | -19% | 1968 | 39 |
| Peninsular Florida | -15% | 1968 | 71 |
Chuck-will's-widow Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 58% since 1968. Aerial insectivores have fallen sharply across the continent, a decline widely linked to dwindling insect prey.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.