Common Potoo

Identification

The Common Potoo is a medium-sized nocturnal bird, 34–38 cm long, instantly recognizable by its strikingly large yellow eyes and unusually wide mouth. Its cryptic plumage of mottled red-brown, white, black, and grey allows it to blend seamlessly into tree branches and stumps—a camouflage so effective that the bird is often overlooked despite being fairly common throughout much of its range. The sexes appear similar. Most distinctive is the bird's remarkable eye anatomy: it possesses two or three slits in its eyelids that remain permanently open, allowing it to see even when its eyes appear closed. The pupils can constrict dramatically, transforming the appearance of the eye from a giant yellow iris to a small dark spot, depending on the bird's level of alertness.

Range & Habitat

The Common Potoo is found across mainland South America east of the Andes, occurring in Trinidad and Tobago and in every mainland South American country except Chile, though vagrants occasionally reach that country. One subspecies ranges from eastern Nicaragua through Central America and western Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, while the nominate subspecies inhabits the remainder of South America from the Andes to the Atlantic. The species favors open woodlands and savannah but avoids cooler montane regions, rarely found above 1,900 m elevation. It prefers wooded habitats and gallery forests but generally avoids arid regions. Birds at the southern edge of the range may undertake short seasonal migrations northward in winter.

Behaviour & Diet

This nocturnal insectivore hunts from fixed perches, capturing insects mid-air using its cavernous mouth in the manner of flycatchers or shrikes. Its diet includes flies, moths, ants, termites, grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets—all swallowed whole. The bird's unique upper-mandible tooth assists in foraging. The Common Potoo is a master of camouflage, deliberately choosing perches matching its own body diameter and adjusting its angle to mimic the branch or stump on which it rests. When undisturbed, it sits with eyes open and bill horizontal; when alarmed, it adopts a striking "freezing" posture with beak pointed vertically upward and eyelids closed, remaining motionless. Responses to disturbance vary from fleeing to threat displays to remaining still even when touched.

Best Time & Places to See It

As a nocturnal species and resident breeder, the Common Potoo is best sought after dark in open woodlands and savannah habitats throughout its extensive South American range. The bird's haunting, melancholic song—a descending series of "BO-OU" notes dropping in both pitch and volume—is often the first indication of its presence. Dawn and dusk visits to suitable wooded habitats offer the best opportunities, particularly during the breeding season when birds are most vocal and active. Gallery forests around the Uruguayan-Brazilian border are particularly good locations.

Photography Tips

Photographing the Common Potoo presents a fascinating challenge: the bird's extraordinary camouflage makes locating it the primary difficulty. Listen for its distinctive melancholic song to pinpoint roosting birds. Once located perched on a stump or branch, the potoo's remarkable immobility allows approach, but movement should be slow and deliberate. The bird's most photogenic feature—those enormous yellow eyes—is best captured when the bird is alert and relaxed. Using a headlamp or red light after dark can help reveal the eye slits and bright tapetum lucidum reflections. Patience and familiarity with the bird's preferred perch sites will yield the best results.