Return of Bird of the Week: Common Potoo
We’re headed to Brazil for this week’s bird, to the Pantanal, the immense swamp in southern Brazil. And the bird is the Common Potoo, a master of camouflage. You have to look closely to see the bird.
Common Potoo, Pantanal, Brazil October 2014
Potoos are nocturnal insectivores, and during the daytime hold these vertical poses, perched motionless on the branches their coloration so strongly resembles. WC was guided to this bird by local tribe people. WC would have walked by it a dozen times without seeing it. Here’s another view.
Common Potoo, Pantanal, Brazil October 2014
This view gives you an idea of the size of the bird’s mouth. Like their cousins, Nightjars and Frogmouths, this species has outsized mouths to capture bugs at night. The Common Potoo is another example of why WC finds birds endlessly fascinating.
For more bird photos please visit Frozen Feather Images.
Not a pretty bird, more of a fascinating piece of Mother Nature’s handiwork. Bet the bugs hate that mouth.