Bird Album
Great Potoo
Nyctibius grandis (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
547 gWeight
The great potoo or grand potoo (Nyctibius grandis) is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America.
Most records: Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil
Where and when it's recorded
Great Potoo has been recorded at 228 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 15 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Centro ManúCosta Rica969 records
- PN Pico Bonito – Lodge at Pico BonitoHonduras797 records
- Sani LodgeEcuador696 records
More places
- Poconé – Pousada PiuvalBrazil673 records
- Pipeline Road (Camino del Oleoducto)Panama666 records
- Pipeline Road – Parque Nacional SoberaníaPanama604 records
- Pipeline RoadPanama565 records
- Arenal Observatory LodgeCosta Rica544 records
- Estación Biológica La Selva-OTSCosta Rica515 records
- Canopy CampPanama464 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The great potoo or grand potoo (Nyctibius grandis) is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Great Potoo?
The Great Potoo weighs around 547 g.
Where does the Great Potoo live?
Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: southern Mexico to Panama through South America to central Bolivia and south-central, southeastern Brazil. It is most often recorded in Costa Rica, Panama and Brazil.
Is the Great Potoo endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Great Potoo as Least Concern.
What does the Great Potoo eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Great Potoo in?
It belongs to the family Potoos (Nyctibiidae), order Nyctibiiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 547 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 374 mm
- Tail
- 251 mm
- Bill
- 45 mm
- Tarsus
- 17 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Middle America, South America: southern Mexico to Panama through South America to central Bolivia and south-central, southeastern Brazil
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Nyctibiiformes
- Family
- Potoos Nyctibiidae
- Genus
- Nyctibius
Other birds in the genus Nyctibius
Long-tailed PotooNyctibius aethereus
Northern PotooNyctibius jamaicensis
Common PotooNyctibius griseus
Andean PotooNyctibius maculosus
White-winged PotooNyctibius leucopterus
Rufous PotooPhyllaemulor bracteatus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by claudia perez rengifo. ↗
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