The male's outermost three pairs of tail feathers have broad white tips; the female's are narrower and buffy.

They are lighter in the north and darker in the south and there are variations in the tone of the body color (some are redder) and the size and shape of the spots and speckles.

[4] The subspecies of the Mexican whip-poor-will are distributed thus:[2][4] A. a. arizonae inhabits several similar mid- to mid-upper elevation, semi-arid to moist, landscapes with the common features being oaks and pines.

[4] The Mexican whip-poor-will lays its clutch of two eggs directly on leaf litter with no conventional nest.

It also makes a variety of other sounds including "a single, low, mellow quirt or queerp note", a growl, and a "growl-chuck".