Potoo (Nyctibius grandis)

BirdNocturnalCamouflage

Overview

Potoos (family Nyctibiidae) are nocturnal birds of Central and South America, celebrated for two things: their extraordinary camouflage and their huge, startling eyes. The great potoo (Nyctibius grandis), shown here, is the largest species. By day a potoo perches bolt upright on a broken branch or stump, stretches into a stiff pose, and becomes almost indistinguishable from dead wood — one of the most convincing disguises of any bird.

Potoos are relatives of nightjars and frogmouths, and like them they are far more often heard — giving haunting, mournful night calls — than seen.

Note: there are several potoo species; details here use the great potoo as a reference. Treat general statements as approximate and verify against authoritative sources.

Habitat & Range

Potoos live in forests, woodland, and forest edges across the tropics of Central and South America, from Mexico to northern Argentina depending on the species. They favour areas with suitable broken snags and branch stubs to perch on, where their camouflage works best, and the great potoo is a bird of lowland and foothill forest.

Diet

Potoos are insectivores that catch flying insects — such as beetles, moths, and grasshoppers — on the wing at night. From a high, exposed perch, a potoo sallies out to snatch passing prey in its wide mouth and then returns to the same perch, a sit-and-wait hunting style. The largest species may occasionally take small birds or bats.

Behavior

The potoo's daytime camouflage is its defining behaviour: it freezes upright on a stub, with plumage that mimics bark, and even has small notches in its closed eyelids that let it detect movement without opening its eyes — so it can keep watch while appearing to be part of the wood. At night it becomes an active aerial hunter. Potoos nest with no real nest at all, balancing a single egg in a small depression or knot on top of a branch or stump.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Potoos are seldom seen because of their nocturnal habits and superb disguise, but their eerie night calls are well known in the American tropics and feature in local folklore. They depend on forest with suitable perches, so deforestation can affect them, though several species remain widespread. Consult authoritative sources for species-specific status.

More photos of the potoo