Potoo
Potoos (family Nyctibiidae) are a group of birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. The family Nyctibiidae was formerly included with the nightjars in the order Caprimulgiformes but is now placed in a separate order, Nyctibiiformes. There are seven species in two genera in tropical Central and South America. Fossil evidence indicates that they also inhabited Europe during the Paleogene.
| Potoo Temporal range: Middle Eocene to present | |
|---|---|
| Northern potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Clade: | Vanescaves |
| Order: | Nyctibiiformes Yuri et al., 2013 |
| Family: | Nyctibiidae Chenu & des Murs, 1853 |
| Type species | |
| Nyctibius grandis (great potoo) Gmelin, JF, 1789 | |
| Genera | |
| Global range (In red) | |
Potoos are nocturnal insectivores that lack the bristles around the mouth found in the true nightjars. They hunt from a perch like a shrike or flycatcher. During the day they perch upright on tree stumps, camouflaged to look like part of the stump. The single spotted egg is laid directly on the top of a stump.
In Argentina and Bolivia, they are known as kakuy or cacuy from Quechua meaning 'to remain'. In Brazil, they are called urutau from Guaraní guyra 'bird' and tau 'ghost'.