Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing potoos. Now we’re going to be right up front and say we’re not sure how to pronounce this animal’s name. We’ve heard puh-TWO, poo-too, poe-two, and even POT-ooh, however, Webster's lists the phonetic spelling as poe-two so that’s what we’re going with. Let us know in the comments your thoughts on this bird’s common name! Technically we could call them poor-me-ones as that’s another common name for these birds, but it’s in reference to their calls and they all have different calls. In fact, the potoo’s call is one of the ways these birds can be differentiated from one another in the field. Different potoo species look quite similar to each other, and even the males and females have no sexual dimorphism. When they give out a call, however, this can help to identify a potoo’s species and sometimes even sex!

Some people don’t believe these birds exist due to their strange appearance, but they’re real and there’s more than one species! There are seven potoo species living throughout forests of Central and South America. What’s interesting, though, is that fossil evidence exists that suggests potoos may have once had a greater range. These nocturnal birds have large, yellow eyes. A potoo’s eyelids are special in that there are grooves which allow the potoo to detect movement even when its eyes are closed! This helps protect the birds from predators which include monkeys, falcons, and weasels. Not only can they close their bright eyes that might otherwise give away their camouflage, they can still see an approaching predator if their eyes are closed!

Potoos have large tails and short legs. They spend most of the day perched on a branch morphing their body to blend in with the surroundings. They’ll stick out their beaks and hold perfectly still so they look like just another part of the tree. Their mottled brown and grey feathers help with this camouflage. In size, potoos range from 8 to 22 inches (21 to 55cm) at full length, meaning the larger species’ can be the size of a snowy owl. Their beaks are hooked and belie the gaping maw that is the potoo’s mouth. These birds wait on their perch at night until an insect comes into view at which point the potoo will fly out and snatch it up in it’s seemingly oversized mouth. It’s like a flying, bug-catching net! Potoos will also eat small birds and bats if they have the chance, though these are rarities on this bird’s menu.

Potoo couples are believed to be monogamous, though they don’t interact with each other much. They’ll live near each other especially while raising a chick, but these birds are generally considered solitary. Even while watching over their offspring, potoo parents swap nesting duties and aren’t usually at the nest at the same time. If you can even call a potoo nest a “nest” - it’s more like an impression in the tree. The egg is laid in a notch in the tree and incubated for about a month. After hatching, the baby takes between one and two months to become independent. How long they live is currently unknown.

For more facts on potoos, check out the links in the description. Thank you to Jayson Sumner, John-O Martin, and Doggie Chan for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!