Great Potoo Bird

The great potoo is the largest of its species and has a wide range throughout Central and South America. This bird is nocturnal and produces a low call that sounds similar to a distressed moan or growl at night, terrifying anyone nearby. Despite its terrifying vocalizations, great potoos are not aggressive and live solitary lives. Discover everything there is to know about these unusual birds, including their habitat, diet, and reproduction.

5 Amazing Great Potoo Bird Facts

• Male and female great potoos look so similar that ornithologists have difficulty telling them apart.
• Great potoos are extremely shy and skittish, spending most of their lives in tall trees.
• These birds use camouflage to escape predators by thoroughly blending with their environment.
• Great potoos catch their prey mid-air, using their large mouths as traps.
• They can see with their eyes closed! Notches on their upper eyelids allow them to sense movement when their eyes are shut.

Where to Find the Great Potoo Bird

Their range begins from Southern Mexico to Northeastern Guatemala and most of Central America. They live in a large portion of Northern South America, and you can find them as far south as Brazil and Bolivia. They inhabit humid to semi-humid forests, primarily dense lowlands, clearings, and forest edges. But you can find them in most habitats as long as there are trees that can provide camouflage. Other habitats include foothills, open woodlands, and meadows. During the day, you can find them perched or resting in big trees over 40 feet above the ground. They move to lower branches five feet above the ground at night and hunt.

Great Potoo Bird Nest

Great potoo birds do not build nests. Instead, they use a deep natural depression or crevice in a large branch, typically around 30 feet above the ground. 

Scientific Name

In 1816, French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot placed the great potoo and six other potoos in the genus Nyctibius. Its genus name is ancient Greek and means “night-living.” The great potoo is monotypic, meaning it has no recognized subspecies. The scientific name of the great potoo is Nyctibius grandis.

Size, Appearance, and Behavior

The great potoo bird has a large head, giant, round eyes, elliptical-shaped wings, large, gaping mouths, and an elongated tail. They weigh between 13 and 23 ounces and grow from 19 to 24 inches with a 28-inch wingspan. Their coloring varies between white, gray, black, and burgundy, with white lateral tail bars. Their feathers blend with their habitats, often making them difficult to spot. 

They are nocturnal predators who perch on high trees until they spot their prey, then pounce mid-air as it begins to fly. But it returns to its perch before it begins eating. During the day, it rests on tree stumps, completely camouflaged by its surroundings. These creatures are solitary and wary of humans and other animals. The best way to find them at night is to look for the light reflected from their eyes.

Great potoos form monogamous pairs and may mate for life. However, little is known about their courting and breeding behaviors, mainly due to their closeness in appearance (lack of dimorphism). These birds are not social and only come together for breeding. They are not aggressive towards others of their kind and may even alert one another to dangers. Researchers have also witnessed them working in groups to deter predators. Due to their lack of territorial behavior, their solitary nature is more of a preference than a necessity.

Diet

The great potoo bird primarily eats flying insects.

What Does the Great Potoo Bird Eat?

They are carnivores and eat large flying insects, such as beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, and katydids. They also occasionally indulge in bats and birds. Using the same hunting perch, the great potoo utilizes its coloring and cloak of darkness to remain invisible to prey. It easily darts out from its perch, grabs it with its gaping mouth, and returns to its preferred eating spot.

Predators, Threats, and Conservation Status

The IUCN lists the great potoo bird as “least concern” primarily due to its wide-ranging habitat and stable, though decreasing, population. However, their population is steadily declining, mainly from habitat loss (forest clearing). These birds are also hunted by locals who use their body parts for ritualistic ceremonies.   

What Eats the Great Potoo?

The great potoo has few predators, but its nests occasionally get ransacked by falcons and monkeys. The adults often stand guard next to the nest during the day and rely on camouflage for protection. 

Reproduction, Young, and Molting

Their breeding season can be as early as February and as late as August, and typically aligns with the region’s wet season. But some areas provide year-round breeding conditions. Females lay one egg per breeding season. We don’t know much about their brooding behavior, but researchers estimate incubation to be around one month. Mated pairs work together to incubate, feed, and guard their young. Chicks are around seven ounces by a few days old, and after five weeks, they resemble their parents except with lighter builds and paler plumage. Their young fledge the nest around two months old and don’t return. 

Population

The IUCN estimates their population to be around 500,000 to almost 5 million mature individuals. Their numbers are slightly declining at about 7% over three generations, most likely from ongoing habitat loss.