# Common potoo
**The common potoo** (*Nyctibius griseus*) is a nocturnal Neotropical bird of the family [Nyctibiidae](https://www.edgepedia.org/potoo), known for its cryptic, branch-like posture, its mournful descending call, and its habit of laying a single egg without building a nest. It is one of seven species in the genus *Nyctibius*[1](https://birdnet.cornell.edu/taxonomy/species/Nyctibius%20griseus) and is also called kakuy or urutau[1](https://birdnet.cornell.edu/taxonomy/species/Nyctibius%20griseus); in Spanish it is known as bienparado norteño[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177956).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | *Nyctibius griseus* (J. F. Gmelin, 1789); original combination *Caprimulgus griseus*[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177956) |
| Family | Nyctibiidae, the potoos: seven species in 15 subspecies[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313) |
| Range | Much of South America into Central America as far as Nicaragua[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313); a Trinidad account gives southwestern Costa Rica to northern Argentina and northern Uruguay[4](https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Nyctibius_griseus%20-%20Common%20Potoo.pdf) |
| Habitat | Forest edges, gallery forest, river-edge forest, savanna, woodlands and plantations, from lowlands to 1800 m[5](https://www.oiseaux.net/en/oiseaux/common.potoo.html) |
| Closest relative | The northern potoo (*Nyctibius jamaicensis*), formerly treated as its subspecies and split on vocal differences[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313) |
| Conservation | IUCN Red List category Least Concern, most recently assessed in 2019[6](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22689646A163600335.en) |
## Taxonomy and classification
[Johann Friedrich Gmelin](https://www.edgepedia.org/johann-friedrich-gmelin) described the species in 1789 as *Caprimulgus griseus*, placing it among the nightjars; the name *Nyctibius griseus* is now the valid combination, and the ITIS record is rated as verified against standards[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177956). The IUCN and ITIS place the family Nyctibiidae in the order Caprimulgiformes[6](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22689646A163600335.en) • [2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177956), while the US Fish and Wildlife Service taxonomic tree and Cornell's BirdNET list the order as Nyctibiiformes[7](https://www.fws.gov/taxonomic-tree/1689641) • [1](https://birdnet.cornell.edu/taxonomy/species/Nyctibius%20griseus), reflecting differing treatments of potoo rank within the nightbird radiation.
The potoo family consists of seven currently recognized species subdivided into 15 subspecies[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313). The US Fish and Wildlife Service tree lists two subspecies under *N. griseus*[7](https://www.fws.gov/taxonomic-tree/1689641). Until recently the northern potoo (*Nyctibius jamaicensis*), which occurs in northern [Central America](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-america) and on Jamaica and [Hispaniola](https://www.edgepedia.org/hispaniola), was treated as a subspecies of the common potoo; the two are now split as separate species on the basis of their distinct vocalizations[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313).
## Phylogeny and genetic divergence
A 2017 study by Noor D. White, Charles Mitter, and Michael J. Braun of the [Smithsonian Institution](https://www.edgepedia.org/smithsonian-institution) and the University of Maryland used ultraconserved elements, a genome-scale marker set, to resolve the potoo family tree with strong statistical support at all ingroup nodes[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313). In the resulting phylogeny the rufous potoo (*N. bracteatus*) branches off first, followed by the [great potoo](https://www.edgepedia.org/great-potoo) (*N. grandis*) and the long-tailed potoo (*N. aethereus*); the common potoo and northern potoo form a sister pair at the distal tips of the tree[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313). Earlier molecular work based on mitochondrial cytochrome b and on allozymes had already supported the pairing of *N. griseus* with *N. jamaicensis*[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313).
Despite their conservative, similar-looking plumage, potoos are genetically old and divergent: mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence divergence among potoos ranges from 11.1 to 16.2 percent, well above the roughly 1 to 10 percent typically observed among congeneric bird species[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313). An osteological study has suggested there may be at least four cryptic species within *Nyctibius griseus* as currently defined[8](https://mz.usp.br/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/lfs/1s20S0044523121000097-main.pdf), and the White study notes that trans-Andean populations of *N. griseus* are candidates for further research on geographic variation[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313).
## Range and habitat
Among the potoos, the common potoo may well occupy the largest range, covering a large portion of South America and extending north through Central America to [Nicaragua](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicaragua)[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313). A [University of the West Indies](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-the-west-indies) species account describes it as breeding and residing from southwestern [Costa Rica](https://www.edgepedia.org/costa-rica) to northern Argentina and northern Uruguay[4](https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Nyctibius_griseus%20-%20Common%20Potoo.pdf), and Cornell's BirdNET summary gives Nicaragua to northern Argentina[1](https://birdnet.cornell.edu/taxonomy/species/Nyctibius%20griseus). It is a solitary, territorial species[4](https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Nyctibius_griseus%20-%20Common%20Potoo.pdf).
Its recorded habitats include tropical lowland evergreen forest edge, secondary forest, gallery forest, montane forest edge, river-edge forest, and lowland pine savanna, from sea level to 1800 m, as well as cerrado, shrubby woodland, woodlots, plantations, second growth, mangrove swamps, and open fields[5](https://www.oiseaux.net/en/oiseaux/common.potoo.html). Like other potoos, which primarily inhabit lowland moist forest, it can be found in a variety of habitats from humid forest borders and river edges to dry woodlands and open areas[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313).
## Appearance and behavior
Potoos rest during the day, protected by cryptic coloration and body form, and forage for insects at night[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313). Most species, including the common potoo, are known for perching upright at the end of dead snags in a pose that bears a remarkable resemblance to the snag itself; some descriptions suggest the plumage patterns resemble lichens growing on dead wood[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313).
Several anatomical traits distinguish potoos from other nightbirds. Their beaks are bare of rictal bristles, their bills have a 'toothed' edge, and their upper eyelids carry slits that, it is believed, let them see a little by day while keeping their prominent eyes hidden from would-be predators.[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313) Like other nightbirds they show adaptations for night vision, including a tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer behind the retina[3](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313).
In the field the common potoo is separated from the larger great potoo by its smaller size and a black mustache stripe[9](https://ebird.org/species/compot1/CO-MAG); identification guides describe its song as a mournful, descending wailing whistle, compared with the great potoo's much deeper, guttural roaring call[10](https://birdidentifier.com/encyclopedia/common-potoo/common-potoo-identification-guide).
## Conservation
The common potoo was most recently assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2019 and is classified as Least Concern[6](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22689646A163600335.en). Its range is treated as extant and resident across the mapped area[6](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22689646A163600335.en).
## References
1. [Common Potoo, BirdNET+ Taxonomy, Cornell Lab of Ornithology](https://birdnet.cornell.edu/taxonomy/species/Nyctibius%20griseus)
2. [ITIS Report: Nyctibius griseus, Taxonomic Serial No. 177956](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177956)
3. [White, N. D., Mitter, C., Braun, M. J. (2017). Ultraconserved elements resolve the phylogeny of potoos (Aves: Nyctibiidae). Journal of Avian Biology 48(6): 872–880.](https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jav.01313)
4. [Nyctibius griseus – Common Potoo, University of the West Indies species account](https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Nyctibius_griseus%20-%20Common%20Potoo.pdf)
5. [Common Potoo, Oiseaux.net](https://www.oiseaux.net/en/oiseaux/common.potoo.html)
6. [Nyctibius griseus (Common Potoo), The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020-3](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22689646A163600335.en)
7. [Explore the Taxonomic Tree: Common Potoo, US Fish and Wildlife Service](https://www.fws.gov/taxonomic-tree/1689641)
8. [Phylogenetic analysis of the nocturnal avian family Nyctibiidae (Caprimulgiformes) inferred from osteological characters](https://mz.usp.br/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/lfs/1s20S0044523121000097-main.pdf)
9. [Common Potoo, eBird](https://ebird.org/species/compot1/CO-MAG)
10. [Common Potoo Identification Guide, Bird Identifier](https://birdidentifier.com/encyclopedia/common-potoo/common-potoo-identification-guide)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Vertebrates › Birds › Bird taxonomy and systematics*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license