Silhouette: Dominic Sherony (photo) and Albertonykus (silhouette) · PhyloPic

Common Potoo

Nyctibius griseus

Silhouette: Dominic Sherony (photo) and Albertonykus (silhouette) · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Tijuca National Park

1 Verified sightings at Tijuca National Park From 2019 to 2026

6,142 Verified sightings across all 52 parks From 2019 to 2026

🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted at dawn and dusk

About the Common Potoo

The common potoo (Nyctibius griseus), also known as the kakuy or urutaú, is one of seven species of birds within the genus Nyctibius. It is notable for its large, yellow eyes and a wide mouth. Potoos are nocturnal and are related to nightjars and frogmouths. They lack the characteristic bristles around the mouths of true nightjars.

The common potoo was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the nightjar-like species in the genus Caprimulgus and coined the binomial name Caprimulgus griseus. Gmelin based his description on "L'engoulevent gris" from Cayenne that had been described from a preserved specimen in 1779 by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon. The common potoo is now one of the seven potoos placed in the genus Nyctibius that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek nuktibios meaning "night-feeding", from nux night and bios "life". The specific epithet griseus is Medieval Latin meaning "grey".

The common potoo was formerly considered to be... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Caroni Swamp	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	~30%
2	Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~20%
3	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~10%
4	Iguazú National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~10%
5	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
6	Emas National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~10%
7	Anavilhanas National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~10%
8	Iguaçu National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~10%
9	Main Ridge Forest Reserve	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	~10%
10	Farallones de Cali National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	~10%
11	El Impenetrable National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~10%
12	Chapada Diamantina National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~10%
13	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
14	Manu National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	~10%
15	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
16	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
17	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
18	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
19	Sierra de la Macarena National Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
20	Amacayacu National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
21	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
22	Chapada dos Guimarães National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
23	Cordillera Azul National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
24	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
25	El Palmar National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	<5%
26	Madidi National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	<5%
27	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
28	Henri Pittier National Park	🇻🇪 Venezuela	<5%
29	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
30	Tayrona National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
31	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
32	Los Nevados National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
33	Puracé National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
34	Chirripó National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
35	Tenorio Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
36	Iberá National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	<5%
37	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
38	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
39	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
40	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
41	Rincón de la Vieja National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
42	Tijuca National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
43	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
44	Brownsberg Nature Park	🇸🇷 Suriname	Insufficient data
45	Serra da Canastra National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
46	Amboró National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	Insufficient data
47	Serra dos Órgãos National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
48	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
49	Chingaza National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
50	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
51	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
52	Podocarpus National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	Insufficient data

← Back to Tijuca National Park

Common Potoo

About the Common Potoo

Recent sightings of Common Potoo in Tijuca National Park

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found