The great potoo or grand potoo (Nyctibius grandis) is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America. Much like owls, this species is nocturnal. It preys on large insects and small vertebrates, which it captures in sallies from high perches.

2025年3月22日 · Throughout the night, great potoos emit a loud, moaning growl that has earned the bird a mythical status, with some communities believing the sounds to be children calling for lost parents.

The Great potoo (Nyctibius grandis) is a nocturnal bird widely distributed in Central and South America. The most well-known characteristic of this bird is its unique moaning growl that the Great potoo vocalizes throughout the night, creating an unsettling atmosphere in the Neotropics with its nocturnal sounds.

A monstrous nightbird, superficially similar to an owl but not related. Pale mottled gray with large head; larger than other potoos and lacks a dark mustache stripe. Well camouflaged and difficult to spot; most often seen roosting on a horizontal limb during the day (less often on a broken off snag like other potoos).

Appearance: The Great Potoo is a large, cryptically colored bird with mottled gray, brown, and white plumage, which helps it blend in seamlessly with tree bark. It has a large head with large yellow eyes and a broad, flat bill ideal for catching insects. The Great Potoo has a distinctive call that sounds like a haunting, repeated mournful wail.

The great potoo is the largest of all seven potoo species found worldwide. Often mistaken for owls due to similar physical features and nocturnal habits, they are closer in relation to nightjars and frogmouths.

Great po­toos have rel­a­tively large heads in re­la­tion to their bod­ies. They have large eyes with a light brown to yel­low iris and beaks that are short but broad, giv­ing them a very large gape. In …

2023年8月23日 · The Great Potoo (Nyctibius grandis), also known as the ghost bird, is a distinctive species found in Central and South America. The species is known for its cryptic plumage, unusually large gaping mouth, and haunting calls.

2020年3月4日 · Great Potoo (Nyctibius grandis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grepot1.01. A global alliance of nature organizations working to document the natural history of all bird species at an unprecedented scale.

The great potoo (Nyctibius grandis) is a near passerine bird, both the largest potoo species and the largest member of the order Caprimulgiformes (nightjars and allies). They are also one of seven species in one genus, Nyctibius, located in tropical America. (Source: Wikipedia, '', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_potoo, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo ...