Cool Facts About The Common Potoo

• The Common Potoo is a nocturnal bird found throughout parts of Central and South America
• These birds are also known as the Lesser Potoo, Grey Potoo and the Pour-Me-One, which is apparently named after their unique call, but I personally don’t understand this logic (you can be the judge when you listen to their call a little later)
• If you are hiking through the forests of Central America with the hopes of seeing one of this unique birds, you had better be alert. The brown colouring and unique physical characteristics of the Common Potoo allows them to blend in perfectly with their surroundings. Essentially, these birds look exactly like a tree stump.

 The Singing Tree Stump

If you are serious about catching a glimpse of the famous Potoo then your

best bet is to look into trees during the darkness of the night. If you are lucky you may just see the glimmer of the moonlight reflecting off the incredibly large eyes of this odd looking bird. Quite often the Common Potoo will perch themselves on top of a tree branch or stump waiting for an unfortunate inset to fly by. This includes everything from fireflies and moths all the way to grasshoppers and termites. Over the years, these birds have become quite proficient at snatching up prey as they fly by the trusty perch of the Potoo. Poor insects wouldn’t even see it coming – after all, how many tree stumps can eat you?

 The Call of the Night

Another great way to spot the Common Potoo is to close your eyes. Wait?!? How could closing your eyes help you to find this magnificent bird? Well, by opening up your ears so you can hear the incredibly unique calls of our feathered friend. You cannot mistake the call of the Potoo. Their call has an odd BO-OU BO-ou bo-ou bo-ou bo-ou sound to it. Actually, you know what, I think the best way for you to understand is to actually hear the call of the Common Potoo. Just click the play button below and enjoy!

See, it is absolutely impossible to mistake the call of the Potoo for any other bird. It sure makes tracking them down a lot easier.