Today’s gif features a bird group that somehow manages to be a cross between sweet, friendly Muppet creation and terrifying craggy tree branch impersonator. It’s a potoo, specifically a great potoo (Nyctibius grandis), the largest of all the potoo species. They do grow to an impressive size, standing up to about 60 cm (23.6 in) tall, with a wingspan of over 70 cm (27.5 in), and they weigh between 360 to 650 g (13 and 23 oz). While they look a little like owls, they are not related and belong in a completely different avian clade.
The potoos are birds in the Nyctibiidae family, a group of nocturnal insectivores that can be found in Central and South America. Genetic analysis of potoos has found that the species within the family have a wide degree of divergence—the highest of any genus of birds—suggesting that the species are quite ancient, estimated to be about 48 million years old. Potoo fossils have been found in Europe, showing that they were more geographically dispersed during the Paleogene era (23-66 million years ago).
Potoos share a common ancestor with nightjars and are grouped in the clade of Vanescaves, derived from the Latin for “vanish birds.” Indeed birds within both of these families are very good at blending with their environments.
There are seven species of potoo divided within two distinct genera. They all share the similar unusual physical characteristics that define potoos: proportionally large, round heads; short, broad bills that open to wide mouths; and big, round eyes. Their eyelids have slits, enabling to them hide those prominent eyes from daytime predators while still sensing movement even when their eyes are closed. Their mottled plumage gives them excellent camouflage abilities amongst their tree branch perches.
Potoos are more often heard than seen. They are well-known for their haunting, plaintive songs that has been likened to a human’s wailing cry. This has earned them a folk reputation as mourners or ghosts of the forest. They sing almost exclusively at night, particularly during moonlit hours. The calls will vary by species. I’ve linked to the great potoo call and song here so you can get an idea of its famous “moaning growl” that has unsettled many a Neotropic visitor. In addition to their songs, they will growl and produce other guttural sounds when threatened or when defending their nests.
Great potoos are widely distributed through the forests, woodland boundaries and clearings of Central and South America. During the day, these shy and solitary birds can be found perching or nesting high in the tree branches of larger trees. At night, they will often choose lower perches in order to hunt. They take advantage of their natural camouflage, sitting on an exposed perch, waiting for prey to fly by. Their diet mostly consists of large flying insects, but they will sometimes take a bird or bat too.
Potoos are monogamous breeders and both parents share in the incubation of the egg and raising of the chick. They do not build nests, but instead will deposit their clutch of a single egg in a depression of a tree branch or on a stump. A brooding parent will leave the nest infrequently and only during darkness to minimize the chance that a potential predator sees any movement that would foil the camouflage that the potoo depends on to protect its chick. Great potoos typically breed from February to August, although depending on range, breeding can be year-round. Incubation lasts about 30 days. Chicks will fledge at about two months old. While its lifespan is unknown due to the bird’s elusive nature, it’s estimated to be 12-14 years on average.
The source for today’s gif is here.
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