Potoo

nocturnal bird · tropical forest · eerie sounds

Enormous night eyes. Potoos have huge eyes built for seeing in the dark, and they hunt insects at night when most other birds are sleeping.

Perfectly hidden hunters. These birds perch very still on tree branches during the day, blending in so well that you might mistake them for part of the tree itself.

Haunting 'poor me' calls. Potoos make eerie, mournful sounds that gave them their nickname, and these ghostly calls echo through tropical forests at night.

Central and South American residents. All seven species of potoos live in the tropical forests of Central and South America, though fossils show their ancestors once lived in Europe.

Insect-catching acrobats. Potoos catch flying insects right out of the air in amazing aerial dives, swooping down from their tree perches to snatch their prey.