Northern Potoo
Encyclopedia
The Northern Potoo is a nocturnal bird
belonging to the potoo
family, Nyctibiidae. It is found from Mexico
south to Costa Rica
and on the islands of Jamaica
and Hispaniola
. It was formerly classified as a subspecies
of the Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) but is now usually treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations.
is grey-brown with an intricate pattern of black, grey and cream markings. The cheeks are pale with a dark malar stripe below them. The large eye has a yellow iris
which can shine red in light at night. The bird's calls are hoarse and guttural. They sound like "WHAAAH-whuh-whuh-whuh!"
The Common Potoo is virtually identical in appearance but has a very different voice consisting of a series of mournful, wailing whistles. The Great Potoo
is larger and paler with no dark malar stripe.
and the West Indies. N. j. jamaicensis is restricted to Jamaica while N. j. abbotti is found on Hispaniola with a single report from Mona Island
in Puerto Rico
. N. j. lambi is found in western Mexico extending north as far as southern Sinaloa
. N. j. mexicanus occurs in southern and eastern Mexico north to southern parts of San Luis Potosí
and Tamaulipas
as well as in Guatemala
, Belize
, El Salvador
and Honduras
. N. j. costaricensis is the most southerly form, occurring in western Nicaragua
and north-west Costa Rica
.
and scrubland with clearings and farmland with scattered trees. It is sometimes seen around golf course
s and urban areas. It feeds on large insect
s such as moth
s or beetle
s. It hunts from a perch, sitting and waiting for prey then sallying out to catch it in flight.
A single egg
is laid on a broken branch with no nest
material used. Both parents are involved in incubating
the egg and feeding the young bird.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
belonging to the potoo
Potoo
The potoos are a family, Nyctibiidae of near passerine birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called Poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. There are seven species in one genus, Nyctibius, in tropical Central and South America.These are nocturnal insectivores which...
family, Nyctibiidae. It is found from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
south to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and on the islands of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
. It was formerly classified as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) but is now usually treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations.
Description
It is a fairly large bird with a length of 38-46 centimetres. It has a long tail, long pointed wings, large head, very short legs and a small bill with a large gape. It is most commonly seen perched motionless in an upright position on branches or posts. The plumagePlumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
is grey-brown with an intricate pattern of black, grey and cream markings. The cheeks are pale with a dark malar stripe below them. The large eye has a yellow iris
Iris (anatomy)
The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
which can shine red in light at night. The bird's calls are hoarse and guttural. They sound like "WHAAAH-whuh-whuh-whuh!"
The Common Potoo is virtually identical in appearance but has a very different voice consisting of a series of mournful, wailing whistles. The Great Potoo
Great Potoo
The Great Potoo is a bird, both the largest potoo species and the largest member of the order Caprimulgiformes . It occurs in tropical America.-Description:...
is larger and paler with no dark malar stripe.
Distribution and subspecies
It has five subspecies distributed across Middle AmericaMiddle America (Americas)
Middle America is a region in the mid-latitudes of the Americas. In southern North America, it usually comprises Mexico, the nations of Central America, and the West Indies. The scope of the term may vary...
and the West Indies. N. j. jamaicensis is restricted to Jamaica while N. j. abbotti is found on Hispaniola with a single report from Mona Island
Mona, Puerto Rico
Mona is the third largest island of the archipelago of Puerto Rico, after the main island of Puerto Rico and Vieques. It is the largest of three islands located in the Mona Passage, a strait between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the others being Monito Island and Desecheo Island...
in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. N. j. lambi is found in western Mexico extending north as far as southern Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
. N. j. mexicanus occurs in southern and eastern Mexico north to southern parts of San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
and Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
as well as in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. N. j. costaricensis is the most southerly form, occurring in western Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and north-west Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
Ecology
It mainly occurs in lowland areas where it inhabits woodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
and scrubland with clearings and farmland with scattered trees. It is sometimes seen around golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s and urban areas. It feeds on large insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s such as moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s or beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s. It hunts from a perch, sitting and waiting for prey then sallying out to catch it in flight.
A single egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
is laid on a broken branch with no nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
material used. Both parents are involved in incubating
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
the egg and feeding the young bird.
External links
- Northern Potoo videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- http://www.natureserve.org/infonatura/servlet/InfoNatura?sourceTemplate=Ltabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=Ldetail_report.wmt&selectedReport=&summaryView=Ltabular_report.wmt&elKey=651221&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=649661&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&selectedIndexes=649661&selectedIndexes=651218&selectedIndexes=104794&selectedIndexes=651221&selectedIndexes=650402&selectedIndexes=651219&selectedIndexes=65122 InfoNatura: Nyctibius jamaicensis - Northern Potoo.]
- Mangoverde World Bird Guide: Northern Potoo Nyctibius jamaicensis.
- Northen Potoo photo gallery VIREO Photo-High Res
- Photo-High Res; Article sos-wildlifejamaica
- Photo-Medium Res; Article tropicalbirding
