whippoorwill define
whippoorwill A whippoorwill is a medium-sized brown bird that is mainly nocturnal and can be found in North and Central America. It's fairly rare to see a whippoorwill, since it mainly flies, eats, and sings after dark and sleeps during the day. The speckled brown whippoorwill has a somewhat flat head â it resembles a small owl. Its name can also be spelled whip-poor-will, and it is onomatopoeic; in other words, the name mimics the sound the bird makes. Some New England and Native American folk tales cite the whippoorwill as an omen of death, possibly because of its haunting song.