Whip-poor-will

The whip-poor-will pictured in this painting by Don R. Eckelberry lays tucked among the dried leaves of the forest floor. The species' repetitive chanting on summer nights makes it easy to hear, but as Eckelberry's painting suggests, it is not as easy to see. Their brown mottled plumage keeps them well-concealed in their forest habitat of the eastern United States. This painting is one of over 3,000 small-scale watercolors commissioned by the National Wildlife Federation and used for their conservation stamps. The stamps were produced from the 1930s-1990s to promote the mission and work of the National Wildlife Federation.