Potoos | Nyctibiiformes

Reuzennachtzwaluwen | Nictibios

The potoos form a small order of nocturnal insect-eaters from the tropics of Central and South America, with one family and one genus. They belong to the same large group of relatives as the nightjars, the Oilbird, the swifts and the hummingbirds, but form a separate lineage within it. Typical features are a short bill above a very wide gape, large eyes and plumage in shades of grey and brown with fine streaks and mottling that closely resembles tree bark. By day they sit upright and motionless at the tip of a broken branch or a post, bill pointing upwards, so that they look like an extension of the wood. At night they sally from a fixed perch after passing insects and then return to it. No nest is built: the single egg is laid in a small depression or crack on top of a branch. In the region two species occur, one on Jamaica and Hispaniola, the other on Trinidad and Tobago.

Families in this order

Potoos | Nyctibiidae2 speciesPotoos are medium-sized to large nocturnal birds with a tiny bill tip above a gape that spans almost the full width of the head, a large, flattened head and long wings and tail. The plumage is mottled and streaked in grey, brown and black. By day they perch upright on a broken branch or post with the eyes nearly closed; slits in the upper eyelids still allow them to detect movement. At night the large eyes reflect bright orange in the beam of a torch. The food consists of beetles, moths and other flying insects, caught in the air from a perch. The single egg is laid without a nest in a hollow on top of a branch, and the parents take turns incubating. In the region two species occur: the Northern Potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis) on Jamaica and Hispaniola, with a harsh, croaking call, and the Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) on Trinidad and Tobago, whose slowly descending series of whistles carries far at night.