What noise does a potoo bird make?

The song of Common Potoo is described by many as one of the most hauntingly beautiful sounds of the American tropics. This song consists of up to 8 melancholy and wailing or lamenting descending notes, which start loud and gradually drop in pitch in sliding steps as it fades in volume.

Is the potoo bird real?

There are seven different species of potoo, which are found in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. They’re cousins of the nightjars (the family that includes nighthawks and whip-poor-wills), but despite their big eyes and nocturnal habits, they’re not closely related to owls.

What is the potoo bird known for?

Potoos are neotropical birds of the family Nyctibiidae. There are 7 species of potoos and all of them are famous for their incredible camouflage skills.

Is a potoo a Whippoorwill?

Potoos are related to the familiar whippoorwill of North America. All belong to the order Caprimulgiformes, a group of birds primarily active at dawn and dusk.

Are Potoos endangered?

The Common Potoo is not considered endangered as yet, however there is still a need to conserve it and educate your friends and family about this bird. Forests are being lost all over South and Central America and one day this bird too might lose its home if we don’t do anything to make sure that it survives.

Can you buy a potoo bird?

Licensing will depend on where you are but yes, they are likely to be governed by laws protecting wildlife or animal trade. They’re certainly not common in the pet trade and likely not bred in captivity, so if you manage to find one it probably won’t be a captive bird.

Are potoo birds aggressive?

Potoos aren’t violent or aggressive birds, so you don’t have to worry about getting clawed if you venture too close to their nests. However, it would be a stretch to call them friendly.

Do potoos blink?

Most photos you can find of potoos show them in their diurnal cryptic perching pose, eyes closed. Open, their eyes are owl-like and, in most species, bright yellow. Here’s a link to photographer Michael Fairchild’s site, showing a potoo in mid-blink, with partially open eyes.

Are potoos rare?

The Great Potoo is normally described as “uncommon”, but occurs frequently in areas of less disturbed forests and is often found to be rare along the edges of its range. The clearing of forest is the only conservation threat known to this bird.

Is the Urutau ghost bird real?

This astonishing creature is Nyctibius griseus, aka the Nictibio Urutaú aka the Common Potoo aka Poor-Me-Ones (because of their creepy call you can hear below) aka the Ghost Bird of South America. Populations of this nocturnal beauty have declined due to deforestation.

Can a potoo bird fly?

The potoos are highly nocturnal and generally do not fly during the day. They spend the day perched on branches with the eyes half closed. With their cryptic plumage they resemble stumps, and should they detect potential danger they adopt a “freeze” position which even more closely resembles a broken branch.

Is a frogmouth an 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. There are seven species in one genus, Nyctibius, in tropical Central and South America.