Great potoo | |
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in Apiacás, Mato Grosso, Brazil | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Clade: | Strisores |
Order: | Nyctibiiformes |
Family: | Nyctibiidae |
Genus: | Nyctibius |
Species: | N. grandis
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Binomial name | |
Nyctibius grandis (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
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The great potoo or grand potoo (Nyctibius grandis) is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America.
Much like owls, this species is nocturnal. It preys on large insects and small vertebrates, which it captures in sallies from high perches.
Possibly its most well known characteristic is its unique moaning growl that the great potoo vocalizes throughout the night, creating an unsettling atmosphere in the Neotropics with its nocturnal sounds.[2]