Common potoo

Nyctibius griseus

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:

common potoo (en); urutau-comum (pt); ibijau gris (fr); urutaú menor (es); urutau-tagschläfer (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Caprimulgiformes

Family Nyctibiidae

Range:

This species is found in tropical Central and South America, from Costa Rica to northern Argentina and Uruguay.

Size:

The common potoo is 33-38 cm long and has a wingspan of 80 cm. They weigh 160-230 g.

Habitat:

Common potoos are found in rainforests, coniferous or evergreen forests, savannas and in grassland where there are a few trees, generally preferring open forests and forests edges. They can also be found in plantations. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.800 m.

Diet:

These birds forage at nigth, hunting flying, nocturnal insects including moths, grasshoppers, beetles, termites, and fireflies.

Breeding:

Common potoos breed in October-March. They don’t build a nest, laying the egg directly in a depression in a tree limb, 3-18 m above the ground. The female lays 1 white egg with lilac spots, which is incubated by both parents for 29-33 days. The chicks is fed by both parents and fledges 45-51 days later. Each pair raises a single chick per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status – LC (Least concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.