Common Potoo
A species of Potoos Scientific name : Nyctibius griseus Genus : Potoos
Common Potoo, A species of Potoos
Botanical name: Nyctibius griseus
Genus: Potoos
Content
Description People often ask General Info
Photo By Ibis Damién Guzmán Méndez , used under CC-BY-SA-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
Common potoos are 34–38 cm long with molted red-brown, white, black, and grey cryptic plumage. This disruptive coloration allows the potoo to camouflage into branches. The sexes appear similar, and cannot be distinguished upon observation. The eyes can appear as giant black dots with a small yellow ring, or as giant yellow irises with small pupils due to voluntary pupil constriction. The potoo has two to three slits in the eyelid so that it can see when the eyelids are closed; these notches are always open. The upper and lower eyelids can be moved independently and rotated so that the bird may adjust its field of vision. The common potoo has an unusually wide mouth with a tooth in its upper mandible for foraging purposes. 
Size
38 cm
Colors
Brown
Black
Red
Gray
Nest Placement
Tree
Feeding Habits
Common Potoo predominantly consumes large flying insects. It hunts using a sit-and-wait strategy, capturing prey at night. This bird has specialized night vision for spotting food in low light.
Habitat
Common Potoo typically inhabits forest edges, open woodlands, and areas of tall secondary growth. This species is also found in various plantations and clearings. It favors both humid lowland environments as well as deciduous and semi-deciduous forests. Broadly, common Potoo's habitat spans across tropical and subtropical regions.
Dite type
Insectivorous
People often ask
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Behavior
The common potoo seeks to mimic the perch it rests on, utilizing a technique called masquerading. Adult and juvenile potoos alike will choose perches that are similar in diameter to their own bodies, so that they will better blend in with the stump. The majority of potoos will choose stumps and other natural materials to rest on, but some adults have been spotted perching on man-made items. These birds adjust their perching angle to best mimic the stump they are on. Potoos sit with their eyes open and their bill horizontal while awake, but if disturbed they will assume an alert “freezing” posture (flexibility). This entails sticking the beak vertically up in the air, closing the eyelids (of which they can still see through via slits), and remaining still. If disturbed by larger animals, such as common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), it may break its camouflage and try to chase them away. If disturbed by a human being, their behaviors can be quite variable: quickly flying away, intimidation via beak-opening, or remaining still even when being touched.
Distribution Area
The common potoo is a resident breeder in open woodlands and savannah. It avoids cooler montane regions; it is rarely observed over 1,900 meters ASL even in the hottest parts of its range. It tends to avoid arid regions, but was recorded in the dry Caribbean plain of Colombia in April 1999. It has many populations in the gallery forest-type environment around the Uruguayan-Brazilian border. A bit further south, where the amount of wood-versus grassland is somewhat lower, it is decidedly rare, and due west, in the Entre Ríos Province of Argentina with its abundant riparian forest it is likewise not common. The birds at the southern end of their range may migrate short distances northwards in winter.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Nightjars and Relatives Family
Potoos Genus
Potoos Species
Common Potoo 
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