Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus)

Scientific name: Nyctibius griseus (Gmelin, 1789)
Common name: Common Potoo
Other names: Grey Potoo, Lesser Potoo.
French name: Ibijau gris
Order: Caprimulgiformes
Family: Nyctibiidae
Size: Body size: 33 to 38 cm; Weight: 160 to 190 g; Wingspan: 85 cm.
Habitat: Woodland edges, sparse woodlands, meadows with trees and bushes, marshy mangroves. It is not found in cold regions nor in very arid regions.
Food: Insectivorous.
Nesting: Common Potoos do not build nests. They nest in natural cavities on top of a stump or in a branch sometimes in rotting wood. There is a single egg per clutch. Both parents alternately sit on the egg.
Migration: Sedentary.
Geographic area: Central America and South America, from Nicaragua to northern Argentina and northern Uruguay.

The Common Potoo has grey-brown upperparts with blackish brown stripes.
The underparts are pale grey brown with blackish spots on the throat and chest. There are more reddish brown forms.
The back of the neck do not show any collar.
The tail is brown and striped with broad grey bars.
The bill is black and very wide. The iris are yellow and may appear reddish on pictures shot with the flash.
Common Potoos are active at dusk and during the night.
They often perch on top of a trunk or a branch with their head pointed upwards. Their perfect immobility and their colour provide a very efficient camouflage.

Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) - French Guiana, France - March 14th 2012

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I have shot this picture during a boat tour on the marshes of Caw.
I have slightly reduced the brightness of the eye which was too much reflecting the flash light.

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André Bon January 2015